Visa pilot lets US businesses pay workers directly in USDC
Visa has launched a new US pilot that enables businesses to send stablecoin payouts from fiat-funded accounts directly to recipients' crypto wallets, the company announced Wednesday at the Web Summit in Lisbon. The initiative uses USDC and is positioned as an option for employers, gig platforms and marketplaces to offer crypto-native compensation without forcing workers through multiple conversion steps.
The move highlights growing convergence between legacy payment rails and tokenized money, and could streamline payment speed and reduce settlement friction for some use cases while boosting USDC utility. As a limited pilot, broader rollout will depend on partner adoption and regulatory clarity; businesses and recipients will still face choices around custody, tax treatment and conversion to fiat, so observers will be watching how the program scales and integrates with existing payroll and compliance systems.