Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Visa Launches Stablecoin Platform; Circle, Coinbase Shares Slip

7/16/2026

24 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Visa launched the Visa Stablecoin Platform on 16 July 2026, offering a Wallet-as-a-Service with dual-approval, audit logs and passkey authentication, and enabling Open USD that removes minting fees and returns most reserve income to partners.
Shares of Circle, Coinbase and Visa moved after the launch, with Circle down about 6%, Coinbase down 4.5% and Visa up 2%.
Stablecoins total over $310 billion and could reach $1.45 trillion by 2035.

History

Historical Context

In June 2019 Facebook announced Libra, a permissioned stablecoin backed by an initial $10 million injection from each founding partner. Intense scrutiny from U.S., EU and G7 regulators forced a rebrand to Diem, a shift to single-currency tokens, and ultimately the association’s shutdown in January 2022 after selling assets for $200 million. Visa’s 2026 stablecoin platform echoes Libra’s ambition and now confronts the same regulatory pressure.

1 of 2

Story summary

Visa launched the Visa Stablecoin Platform on 16 July 2026, offering a Wallet-as-a-Service with dual-approval, audit logs and passkey authentication, and enabling Open USD that removes minting fees and returns most reserve income to partners.
Shares of Circle, Coinbase and Visa moved after the launch, with Circle down about 6%, Coinbase down 4.5% and Visa up 2%.
Stablecoins total over $310 billion and could reach $1.45 trillion by 2035.

1 / 2