Visa to develop technology layer for tokenised deposits

Visa has unveiled an ambitious strategy to position itself at the centre of the emerging programmable money ecosystem, announcing plans to build the technology infrastructure that will enable banks to issue tokenised deposits while simultaneously expanding its stablecoin and artificial intelligence initiatives.

Visa to develop technology layer for tokenised deposits

The announcements, made at the company’s annual Visa Payments Forum, reflect a growing consensus across thefinancial industry that blockchain-based settlement and AI-driven commerce are set to reshape both the front and back ends of the payments value chain.

For Visa, the opportunity lies not in becoming a bank or issuing digital currencies itself, but in providing the trusted infrastructure that allows financial institutions to modernise without abandoning existing business models.

Tokenised Deposits Enter the Spotlight

One of the most significant announcements was Visa’s commitment to develop a technology layer capable of supporting tokenised bank deposits.

Unlike stablecoins, which are typically issued by specialist financial institutions or fintech companies, tokenised deposits represent traditional bank deposits that have been digitised and placed onto blockchain infrastructure.

The funds remain on a bank’s balance sheet while gaining many of the benefits associated with digital assets, including programmability, near-instant settlement and round-the-clock availability.

The move is particularly important as banks seek ways to respond to the rapid growth of stablecoins without surrendering customer deposits to alternative digital payment networks.

By enabling tokenised deposits, Visa is effectively offering banks a route to compete with stablecoin issuers while maintaining the regulatory protections and trust associated with the traditional banking system.

Stablecoins Move Beyond Experimentation

Visa also revealed that its stablecoin settlement activities have moved well beyond the pilot stage.

The company says it has processed billions of dollars in stablecoin transactions across VisaNet, reaching an annualised run rate of approximately $7 billion as of March 2026. Building on early settlement pilots launched in 2025, Visa is now expanding its stablecoin infrastructure across multiple currencies, blockchains and geographic markets.

The network is also extending seven-day settlement capabilities beyond issuing banks to include acquiring institutions, potentially creating a more flexible and efficient settlement ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Visa’s stablecoin-linked card strategy continues to gather momentum. More than 160 programmes are now either live or under development globally, allowing consumers and businesses to spend digital asset balances through existing card acceptance networks.

AI and Commerce Converge

Alongside developments in digital money, Visa outlined its vision for the future of AI-powered commerce.

New tools including Agent Score and the Agentic Directory are designed to help merchants prepare for a world in which autonomous AI agents increasingly search, compare and complete transactions on behalf of consumers.

The company also announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI, aimed at enabling secure Visa payments within agentic commerce environments.

Taken together, the initiatives reveal Visa’s broader strategy. As payments become increasingly programmable, autonomous and real-time, the company is seeking to position itself as the trust layer connecting AI, blockchain infrastructure and global commerce.

In doing so, Visa is making a clear bet that the future of payments will be defined not by a single technology, but by the convergence of several transformative trends.