Visa has announced the expansion of its stablecoin settlement capabilities across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA), along with a new partnership with Yellow Card, a pan-African financial technology firm.

The enhanced settlement solution will enable select issuers and acquirers in the region to conduct cross-border transactions in USD using blockchain technology. This is expected to reduce settlement costs, improve liquidity management, and support 24/7 settlement, even on weekends and holidays.

Visa began piloting stablecoin settlements in 2023 using USD Coin (USDC) and has since processed over $225 million in stablecoin volume. The expansion aims to make these capabilities available to more partners across the CEMEA region.

In parallel, Visa is working with Yellow Card to explore using stablecoins across African markets where the fintech firm is licensed. The collaboration will focus on enhancing treasury operations, improving liquidity management, and evaluating integration with Visa Direct—Visa’s cross-border payments platform that operates in over 190 countries.

Godfrey Sullivan, Senior Vice President and Head of Product and Solutions for CEMEA at Visa, said stablecoins are becoming an integral part of the payments ecosystem and emphasized Visa’s commitment to helping partners navigate emerging technologies.

Chris Maurice, CEO of Yellow Card, described the partnership as a step toward bridging traditional finance with next-generation digital payment solutions, focusing on enabling faster, more transparent money movement.

The initiative is part of Visa’s broader strategy to strengthen its digital payment infrastructure and explore the expanding role of stablecoins in global financial flows.