Visa Inc. V recently announced a partnership with Brale to explore private stablecoin settlement for institutional payments on the Canton Network. The initiative is aimed at enabling banks, fintechs and other financial institutions to settle transactions using private, fiat-backed stablecoins rather than relying on traditional banking rails. The move builds on Visa’s broader stablecoin strategy, which already includes blockchain-based settlement pilots and USDC settlement capabilities.
Through Brale’s infrastructure, institutions could use customized stablecoins designed for specific payment and treasury needs. The goal is to create faster, always-available settlement options while maintaining compliance, security and operational control.
The announcement signals that stablecoins are becoming part of mainstream financial infrastructure. Institutional payments still face delays, limited operating hours and reconciliation challenges. Private stablecoin settlement can reduce those frictions, giving businesses a faster way to move money while keeping transactions within regulated financial frameworks.
For Visa, the initiative strengthens its position as payment networks evolve toward digital settlement. Stablecoins can improve liquidity management and support near-instant settlement across borders and time zones. That could make Visa’s network more attractive to financial institutions seeking faster treasury and payment operations.
The partnership can also open opportunities for new transaction volumes and value-added services tied to digital asset infrastructure. While the revenue impact may be gradual, it helps Visa remain relevant as blockchain-based payment systems gain traction. The company’s stablecoin settlement activity has already reached multi-billion-dollar annualized run rates, highlighting growing demand.
In April 2026, the company expanded its stablecoin settlement pilot to support nine blockchain networks and reported a $7 billion annualized run rate in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, representing more than 50% sequential growth.
How Are Peers Placed?
Mastercard Incorporated MA has been investing heavily in blockchain-based payments and digital asset infrastructure. In March 2026, the company teamed up with SoFi to support settlement through SoFiUSD, giving network participants the ability to complete transactions outside traditional banking hours. Mastercard is also strengthening its position in the space through its planned acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK for up to $1.8 billion.
Meanwhile, American Express Company AXP has taken a more measured approach. Rather than focusing on stablecoin-powered settlement networks, AXP’s digital asset initiatives have largely centered on enhancing customer engagement, rewards, loyalty offerings and partnerships with fintechs.
Visa’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates
Shares of Visa have lost 7.9% in the year-to-date period compared with the broader industry’s 19.7% decline.
From a valuation standpoint, Visa trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 21.92X, up from the industry average of 15.44X. Visa carries a Value Score of C.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Visa’s fiscal 2026 earnings implies a 14.1% rise year over year, followed by 13.1% growth next year.
The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).