Visa Partners With Aquanow to Expand Stablecoin Settlements Across CEMEA Region

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Visa Inc. announced a partnership with crypto fintech company Aquanow on November 27 to extend stablecoin settlement options across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMA).

According to the announcement, the deal links Visa’s payment network to Aquanow’s digital asset infrastructure, enabling issuers and acquirers to use stablecoins such as USDC for transactions. This setup will cut costs and speed up processes for financial institutions handling cross-border flows.

What Does Visa’s New Partnership Mean?

The CEMEA rollout meets demand for round-the-clock settlements without traditional bank delays. Visa piloted USDC settlements in 2023, as announced at the end of 2020, and is now at a $2.5 billion annualized monthly run rate, according to the press release.

Godfrey Sullivan, Visa’s CEMEA product head, called it a step to update payment rails in the region. Aquanow CEO Phil Sham noted the combo brings internet-speed transparency to institutional flows with stablecoin technology.

Visa and Stablecoins Are Having Significant Advances in 2025

Visa Inc. ramped up stablecoin efforts in 2025. In September, it started a prefund pilot via Visa Direct for cross-border business payments using stablecoins. Then, in November, it brought pilots for fiat-to-stablecoin payouts to creators and gig workers, plus added support for USDG, PYUSD, EURC, Stellar , and Avalanche .

Also, the stablecoin supply topped $300 billion in 2025 and is currently close to $305 billion despite the dip in the crypto market, according to DefiLlama. USDT and USDC hold the majority of the market, with 60% and 25% dominance, respectively. Growth stems from regulatory nods such as the GENIUS Act and MiCA, as well as demand for quick transfers in emerging markets.

Traditional financial firms gain from lower friction in a region with high cross-border volume. Stablecoins now rival parts of Visa’s transaction volume, reaching $6 trillion in Q1 2025 alone. This fits with Visa’s push into blockchain technologies and the tendency that began in 2020 and continues to this day.

Read original story Visa Partners With Aquanow to Expand Stablecoin Settlements Across CEMEA Region by José Rafael Peña Gholam at Coinspeaker.com