NEW YORK—“We do think it’s going to be real,” Visa’s head of product for Commercial Money Solutions Mark Nelsen told PYMNTS, predicting that dollar-backed stablecoins are set to play an increasingly practical role in global payments.
In an interview with PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster, Nelsen said the technology is “too efficient” not to catch on—especially in markets where currency volatility, limited bank access, and demand for instant payments intersect. Visa is already piloting features allowing creators and gig workers to receive earnings directly in stablecoins, sidestepping traditional banking bottlenecks.
According to Visa, the early use cases are likely to center on global freelancers, influencers, and small digital businesses—the “creator economy”—who need immediate, cross-border access to U.S.-dollar-denominated funds. “There are 30 million creators and they’re in all these markets where the local currency isn’t really strong,” Nelsen told PYMNTS. “That’s where stablecoins can offer a sweet spot in being able to say, ‘We can pay you immediately.’”
For financial institutions, Visa’s perspective signals a clear directional shift: stablecoins are emerging not as competitors but as complementary rails within a multi-network environment. Nelsen said Visa aims to provide “choice and optionality,” integrating card, ACH, wire, and stablecoin pathways into a unified payment architecture.
Banks, meanwhile, are watching closely, PYMNTS reported. While some fear disintermediation, others see opportunity in a “stablecoin-enabled ecosystem” that could streamline settlement and widen financial access. For Visa, Nelsen added, the goal is not to pick winners among coins but to “build the connective tissue” that lets users transact freely across rails.