Visa just put real numbers behind what a lot of people in crypto have been saying for a while. Stablecoin payments are growing fast, and they are no longer just a niche use case.
According to Visa, stablecoin settlement volume has climbed sharply and is now running at about $4.5 billion on an annualized basis. That tells us blockchain rails are being used for actual payments, not only trading or speculation.
What makes this important is the direction it points to. Stablecoins are moving real money at scale, cross border payments are getting faster and cheaper, and banks and merchants are slowly getting comfortable using on-chain systems. This is what mainstream adoption actually looks like, not hype cycles.
When a company like Visa, which handles trillions of dollars every year, starts leaning into stablecoins, it is a clear signal. This is no longer a test or an experiment. It is turning into real payment infrastructure.
The $4.5 billion figure is likely just the start. Stablecoins are positioning themselves as a core layer for global payments, sitting right between traditional finance and blockchain. And that shift is picking up speed.