Visa's move is to bet on both AI and stablecoins. 24/7 on-chain settlement is finally going to shift from card issuers to acquirers, and the old traditional payment system is about to be overturned.

Visa announces expansion of stablecoins, tokenization, and AI applications at the annual forum: AI is changing the front end, while stablecoins are reshaping the back end. By March 2026, the annualized settlement volume of Visanet stablecoins will reach $7 billion, expanding 7-day continuous on-chain settlements from card issuers to acquirers. Tokenization will create a tokenized deposit technology layer, allowing banks to convert deposits into programmable digital currencies while retaining funds. Additionally, in partnership with OpenAI, Visa enables AI agents to initiate payments that merchants can accept under set limits and approval conditions.