The passage of the Guidance and Establishment of National Innovation in Stablecoins Act—commonly known as the GENIUS Act—by the U.S. Senate marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of digital finance. As regulatory clarity begins to take shape, industry leaders like Visa are stepping forward with strategic insights into how stablecoins could redefine global payments. With Jack Forestell, Visa’s Chief Strategy and Product Officer, recently articulating the company’s vision, and CEO Ryan McInerney affirming their long-term embrace of stablecoin technology, it's clear that traditional financial infrastructure giants are not just observing—but actively shaping—the future of programmable money.
This article unpacks Visa’s perspective on the next phase of stablecoins, explores the three foundational layers required for mass adoption, and examines real-world implications across emerging and developed markets.
A "Potential" Turning Point in Payment History
Jack Forestell describes the GENIUS Act as a “potential” milestone in payment history—not because its impact is uncertain, but because the true transformation hinges on execution. While stablecoins unlock the promise of a new era of digital, programmable money, achieving scale demands more than innovation; it requires trust, interoperability, and seamless user experience.
As Visa CEO Ryan McInerney noted:
“The world hasn’t changed overnight with this bill, but Visa has been preparing for stablecoins for years.”
Building trust in new payment systems takes time. It involves aligning the interests of buyers, sellers, senders, and receivers around core values: security, reliability, fraud protection, dispute resolution, ease of use, and continuous innovation.
For stablecoins to become part of the mainstream digital payment infrastructure, they must succeed across three critical layers:
1. The Technology Layer
A robust, scalable, flexible, and open technological backbone is essential—one capable of processing high-volume transactions securely and efficiently, with zero tolerance for failure or breaches. Blockchain advancements have already laid a strong foundation here, enabling near-instant settlements and transparent audit trails.
2. The Reserve Layer
Trust in value and stability is non-negotiable. This is where regulated, reserve-backed stablecoins come into play. Unlike volatile cryptocurrencies, stablecoins like USDC or PYUSD maintain parity with fiat currencies (e.g., USD), ensuring predictability for everyday use.
3. The Interface Layer
This is where adoption lives or dies. A truly successful stablecoin ecosystem needs a ubiquitous interface layer that users actively want to engage with. It must:
- Provide trust, standards, security, and value for all parties
- Scale to support billions of users globally
- Enable seamless conversion between digital tokens and local fiat currencies
Without solving this "last mile" problem, stablecoins risk remaining niche tools—useful for closed-loop systems or wholesale financial markets—but failing to achieve mass consumer adoption.
👉 Discover how leading platforms are bridging the gap between crypto and real-world payments.
Bridging the Gap: Strategic Moves Toward Mass Adoption
Several major players are already positioning themselves at the intersection of traditional finance and blockchain-based payments:
- Visa has strategically invested in BVNK, a stablecoin infrastructure provider, integrating it with payment processors like Worldpay and LianLian Pay. Combined with Visa Direct and card products, this creates a powerful bridge between digital assets and physical commerce.
- Circle, issuer of USDC, has built the Circle Payments Network, partnering with global financial institutions to enable instant, low-cost cross-border transactions.
- Stripe acquired Bridge and Privy, enhancing its ability to embed stablecoin payments into e-commerce platforms like Shopify.
- Ripple evolved from XRP to RippleNet and now offers RLUSD, targeting institutional liquidity.
- PayPal launched PYUSD, leveraging its 400 million-user ecosystem (including Venmo) to drive utility through familiar super-app experiences.
PayPal’s approach highlights a proven path to adoption:
- Awareness – Regulatory milestones like the GENIUS Act spark interest
- Utility – Users begin transacting in real scenarios
- Ubiquity – The technology becomes invisible, seamlessly embedded in daily life
Visa echoes this trajectory. Their vision centers on making payments so frictionless that users no longer ask:
- Will the merchant accept my payment?
- Do I need a special wallet?
- Am I on the right blockchain?
- What’s the gas fee?
- Is my privacy protected?
- Can I earn rewards?
- How do I resolve disputes?
These concerns vanish when infrastructure works silently in the background—just like internet connectivity today.
Can Stablecoins Disrupt Traditional Payment Giants?
Despite Visa’s proactive stance, disruption looms from unexpected corners. Retail giants like Walmart and Amazon are reportedly exploring their own stablecoins. Why? To bypass intermediaries and slash payment processing fees.
Consider the math:
- Walmart: $648B annual revenue, ~$10B in credit card fees. Eliminating these could boost valuation by over 60%.
- Chipotle: $9.8B revenue, $148M in fees. A switch to stablecoin payments could increase profitability by 12%.
- Kroger: With margins below 2%—often lower than processing fees—stablecoin adoption could potentially double profits.
Stripe has already set a precedent by charging just 1.5% for stablecoin payments, 30% less than standard credit card rates.
👉 See how businesses are cutting costs with next-gen payment solutions.
What Problems Do Stablecoins Actually Solve?
Jack Forestell often faces this question: What real problems do stablecoins solve?
His answer: They’ve already found product-market fit in crypto trading, but their broader potential lies in:
- Emerging markets with high inflation or limited access to U.S. dollars
- Cross-border remittances (C2C) and international B2B payments
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino revealed that less than 40% of USDT’s market cap is tied to crypto trading—over 60% stems from grassroots usage in developing economies. The next growth wave may come from commodity trade settlements.
In advanced economies like the U.S., where digital banking is efficient, stablecoins offer marginal gains—from 90% to maybe 95% efficiency. But in regions with underdeveloped financial systems, stablecoins can boost efficiency by 30–40%, making them transformative.
For example:
- In Germany, only 32% of consumers prefer cards; 49% choose app-based payments.
- In the Philippines, 48.2% lack bank access—yet 49% use digital wallets.
- In Nigeria, cash still dominates offline transactions despite growing mobile penetration.
This is where Tether thrives—deep in the Global South, serving over 450 million users across 3 billion unbanked individuals worldwide.
While Circle faces competition from Wall Street giants post-IPO, Tether’s real rival might be geopolitical: China’s digital yuan and Belt and Road financial initiatives.
FAQ: Your Questions About Stablecoins Answered
Q: Are stablecoins only useful in crypto markets?
A: No. While they originated in crypto trading, over 60% of USDT usage occurs outside exchanges—especially in emerging economies where people rely on them for savings and remittances.
Q: Will stablecoins replace credit cards?
A: Not immediately. Instead, they’ll complement existing systems by reducing costs and improving speed—especially for cross-border transactions.
Q: Is regulation helping or hindering stablecoin growth?
A: The GENIUS Act brings much-needed clarity. Clear rules reduce uncertainty for banks and businesses, accelerating integration into mainstream finance.
Q: Can average consumers use stablecoins easily?
A: Not yet—but companies like Visa and PayPal are building interfaces that hide complexity, letting users transact without knowing blockchain details.
Q: Are all stablecoins safe?
A: Not equally. Regulated, reserve-audited stablecoins like USDC or PYUSD are far more trustworthy than unregulated alternatives.
Q: How do stablecoins affect inflation-prone countries?
A: They offer citizens a way to preserve wealth in stable assets like USD-denominated tokens—bypassing failing local currencies.
The Road Ahead: From Innovation to Invisibility
The journey toward ubiquitous stablecoin adoption is underway. The GENIUS Act provides regulatory scaffolding. Companies like Visa are building scalable infrastructure. And real-world demand—from remittances to retail—is driving utility.
Mass adoption won’t happen because people love blockchain—it will happen because they love what it enables: faster, cheaper, borderless payments without friction.
As Visa continues to integrate stablecoins into its global network, one thing becomes clear:
The future of money isn’t about replacing old systems—it’s about making them smarter, faster, and more inclusive.
👉 Explore how you can be part of the next wave of financial innovation.