Visa adds Western Union’s USDPT to $25B settlement program

Visa has added Western Union's USDPT stablecoin to its settlement network through a partnership with Anchorage Digital, giving eligible partners another way to pay their VisaNet obligations.

Summary

• USDPT is now a native Visa settlement asset through Anchorage Digital's newly announced partnership.
• Anchorage Digital Bank issues the dollar-backed token, which Western Union launched on Solana in May.
• Visa's stablecoin settlement business previously passed a $25 billion annualized run rate.
• Western Union already offers a USDPT-backed Visa card through its separate partnership with Rain.

Anchorage Digital's announcement confirms that Visa and eligible partners can now use USDPT for settlement, making it the first stablecoin issued by the bank to receive support under the collaboration. The agreement creates a framework to consider other Anchorage-issued tokens after the initial launch.

Visa makes USDPT a native settlement asset

The arrangement covers payments owed through VisaNet, with Anchorage describing USDPT as a native settlement asset. Support begins with Western Union's token; the announcement does not say that every stablecoin issued by Anchorage has been accepted.

Dan Roesbery, Visa's vice president of global crypto partnerships and go-to-market, said the company wants to give partners more choice in how they settle.

"Supporting USDPT as a native settlement asset, in partnership with Anchorage, gives them another trusted, institution-grade option," Roesbery said.

For Anchorage, the agreement forms part of its stated plan to serve as a settlement bank for stablecoins, combining issuance with custody and infrastructure for moving assets between institutions.

USDPT's launch announcement identifies Solana as its blockchain and Anchorage Digital Bank N.A. as its issuer. The Visa partnership announcement does not separately specify its settlement chain.

Western Union targets funds tied up in overseas accounts

Western Union launched USDPT on May 4 as a dollar-backed asset for payments across its network. Its official release described treasury and agent settlement as one of the planned uses, alongside exchange access, consumer spending and a Digital Asset Network connecting exchanges with payout infrastructure.

According to Anchorage, conventional cross-border payment arrangements require companies to place money in destination accounts before transfers arrive. Maintaining balances across markets ties up working capital, particularly when banking hours and time zones differ.

With USDPT, the companies say round-the-clock settlement can reduce reliance on those prefunded accounts and let Western Union move funds when they are needed. Anchorage describes faster reconciliation and fewer manual or batch processes as other intended operating benefits.

Neither company's announcement sets out a reduction in remittance charges or cash-out fees tied to the Visa integration. The stated savings concern funding and settlement operations, without a published amount showing what a sender or recipient would save.

Visa's settlement business has passed a $25B run rate

As crypto.news previously reported, Visa disclosed a settlement run rate above $25 billion during its Oct. 27 earnings call, ten times the year-earlier level.

Chief executive Ryan McInerney said settlement services covered 10 blockchains and all five of Visa's geographic regions. More than 225 stablecoin-linked card programs were operating, reaching 5 million cards in over 50 countries.

The annualized figure expresses the pace of settlement over a full year; it is not the total processed during fiscal 2026 or a measure of USDPT activity.

On Nov. 10, Visa's Monad settlement integration gave participating card issuers and merchant payment processors another network for settling obligations. The Monad Foundation did not identify which stablecoins would be used on that chain.

A separate Lloyds Banking Group pilot settled $750,000 of obligations over seven days. Visa said funds reached it in the United States in under an hour, including weekend transfers.

Western Union's Visa card already supports USDPT spending

Western Union's Stablecard launch with Rain on Aug. 4 brought a USDPT wallet and linked Visa card to 37 markets. Customers could receive eligible remittances, hold dollar value, and spend through Visa merchants or ATMs.

In its product announcement, Western Union said customers could transfer USDPT to and from compatible wallets and exchanges and add the card to Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Western Union said Stablecard was designed for remittance recipients and everyday spenders who want to retain dollar value before using their balances for purchases online or in stores.

The company described USDPT as fully backed by reserves and redeemable one-to-one for U.S. dollars. Its announced expansion target for Stablecard was more than 60 markets by year-end.