Stablecoin payment track heats up: Visa partners with AquaNow to expand into African and Middle Eastern markets

Payment giant Visa is accelerating its deployment of blockchain payment infrastructure. Recently, Visa announced a strategic partnership with digital asset infrastructure provider AquaNow, with both parties working together to promote stablecoin settlement applications in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

According to the cooperation, the two organizations will jointly develop cross-border settlement solutions that support card issuers and acquirers to conduct transactions and clearing using regulated stablecoins such as USDC. This marks another deep integration between traditional payment systems and the blockchain ecosystem.

USDC Payment Application Potential

As the core tool of the partnership, USDC (USD Coin), one of the most important compliant stablecoins in the market, currently has a circulating market cap of $78.28 billion and a 24-hour trading volume of $25.92 million. Compared to traditional cross-border transfer methods, USDC-based clearing mechanisms offer lower costs and faster confirmation speeds.

Strategic Significance of Geographic Expansion

The choice of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for this collaboration is no coincidence. These regions generally face issues of insufficient traditional financial infrastructure and have a strong demand for cross-border payment solutions. The Middle East is becoming an emerging hub for blockchain finance, while the mobile payment penetration rate in the African market has provided fertile ground for digital currency applications. The partnership between Visa and AquaNow is expected to accelerate the penetration of stablecoins in payment scenarios in these regions.

This collaboration reflects the increasing importance of stablecoin settlement capabilities in mainstream payment systems and also signals a new pattern for the future cross-border clearing market.