1st September 2026
By Anjali Kochhar
Visa and Nium Test 24/7 Stablecoin Settlement in Singapore
Visa is testing a new stablecoin-based settlement system in Singapore that could allow cross-border payments to be settled seven days a week, including weekends and public holidays. The initiative is being developed with payments infrastructure company Nium under the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) BLOOM programme.
The pilot focuses on one of the biggest limitations of traditional cross-border payment infrastructure: settlement is often tied to banking hours and business days. By using regulated stablecoins, Visa and Nium are exploring whether financial institutions can move and settle funds continuously, rather than waiting for the next working day.
How Stablecoins Could Work With Existing Payment Networks
The project is particularly significant because it is designed to connect existing payment systems with blockchain-based settlement rails. Rather than replacing traditional payment networks, the pilot will examine how stablecoins can work alongside them while maintaining compliance, security and operational controls.
Under the initiative, Visa has selected Nium as its first partner for testing seven-day stablecoin settlement. The trial will examine regulated stablecoins backed by major currencies, including the US dollar and euro. The focus is on institutional settlement infrastructure rather than changing how consumers initiate payments.
For businesses and financial institutions involved in international payments, continuous settlement could improve liquidity management and reduce delays. Transactions occurring late on a Friday or during a public holiday, for example, would not necessarily have to wait until banks reopen before settlement can take place.
Visa has already been expanding its use of stablecoins as part of its broader effort to modernise payment settlement. In the United States, the company launched USDC settlement for participating financial institutions in 2025, highlighting seven-day availability and faster movement of funds through blockchain infrastructure. Visa has also expanded its stablecoin settlement network across multiple blockchains.
The Singapore pilot adds another layer to that strategy by testing interoperability between conventional financial infrastructure and stablecoin networks in a regulated environment.
Singapore has increasingly positioned itself as a testing ground for digital-asset and payment innovation, with MAS using initiatives such as BLOOM to explore how emerging technologies can be integrated into established financial systems.
What Happens Next for Visa’s Singapore Stablecoin Pilot?
Visa and Nium have not yet disclosed a specific launch date, expected transaction volumes or the wider group of institutions that could participate in the pilot. Still, the project signals a broader shift in financial infrastructure, where stablecoins are increasingly being explored not just as digital assets, but as potential tools for faster and more flexible institutional settlement.
The outcome of the pilot could help determine whether 24/7 stablecoin settlement can become a practical complement to traditional banking rails for global payments.
