Visa CEO Signals Support for Stablecoin Integration Amid GENIUS Act Momentum

Visa CEO Ryan McInerney has confirmed that the global payments giant is ready to scale stablecoin-powered payments across its network, following growing legislative support in the U.S. for digital asset regulation.

Visa Readies for Stablecoin Era

In an interview with CNBC, McInerney said Visa has been “embracing and building for years” in anticipation of stablecoin adoption. He noted that the company has already made several infrastructure upgrades to accommodate digital currencies, including enabling stablecoin-backed Visa credentials and modernizing its settlement systems.

“We’ve been enabling people to issue Visa credentials on top of stablecoins, we’ve been modernizing our own settlement infrastructure with stablecoins, and we have a whole host of innovations that we plan to deploy around the world,” McInerney said.

GENIUS Act Offers Regulatory Clarity

McInerney’s comments come shortly after the U.S. Senate passed the GENIUS Act—a proposed regulatory framework for fiat-backed stablecoins. The bill, formally titled the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act, outlines reserve requirements, audit mandates, and legal classifications for compliant stablecoins. It is expected to move through the House of Representatives next.

The Visa CEO expressed confidence that the act will bring much-needed regulatory clarity, encouraging more mainstream adoption of stablecoins for payments and commerce.

Demand Will Drive Integration

While Visa’s stock dipped following news of the GENIUS Act’s Senate passage, McInerney emphasized that the company stands ready to support stablecoins—if the demand materializes.

“For payments, you need trust, ease of use, and scale,” he said. “And if stablecoins become a mode of currency that people want to embrace around the world, we will enable that on the Visa system and scale that to those billions of endpoints.”

Visa currently supports nearly 5 billion credentials and services over 150 million merchants globally. McInerney suggested that this existing network gives the company a strategic advantage in rolling out stablecoin-based solutions at scale, should consumer and commercial interest rise.

Outlook: Innovation Driven by Policy

McInerney reiterated that Visa’s engagement with stablecoin infrastructure is not new but has intensified in light of shifting global policy trends. “Now is the time to actively drive innovation,” he said, describing the GENIUS Act as a potential turning point for regulated crypto adoption.

Visa’s approach reflects a broader movement among traditional financial institutions to explore digital currencies within a clearer regulatory framework. With the GENIUS Act poised to reshape how stablecoins interact with the U.S. financial system, Visa’s preparedness positions it to play a significant role in the next phase of payment innovation.