Visa expands stablecoin payment capabilities in the CEMEA region

The partnership enables instant transactions using USDC.

Visa expands stablecoin payments across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa

28.11.2025 - 13:15

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Key points:

Visa has announced the expansion of stablecoin payments in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The goal of the partnership is to enable transactions using the USDC stablecoin.

Visa has announced the expansion of its stablecoin payment program to the Middle East, Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe (CEMEA). Aquanow, a crypto infrastructure development company, has been selected as a new partner.

This collaboration will enable banks and payment organizations in the CEMEA regions to use stablecoins such as USDC to conduct faster and more cost-effective financial transactions. Godfrey Sullivan, head of Visa’s products and solutions in the CEMEA region, said:

“Our partnership with Aquanow is another key step in modernizing the back-end rails of payments, reducing reliance on traditional systems with multiple intermediaries, and preparing institutions for the future of money movement.”

Aquanow CEO Phil Sham emphasized that the Visa network has been providing secure money transfers for many years. Now, both companies are giving financial institutions new opportunities to participate in the digital economy and real-time settlements.

The role of Aquanow

Aquanow provides infrastructure and liquidity for digital assets. The company is regulated in Dubai and processes large monthly volumes of cryptocurrency transactions.

The expansion of cooperation demonstrates the growing interest of institutional players in blockchain settlements. At the same time, experts warn about the risks of stablecoins — volatility and limited investor protection.

Supporters of the technology believe that such settlement mechanisms reduce the number of intermediaries and increase transparency compared to traditional payment systems.

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