Visa Direct moves USDC prefunding into commercial production with Inyo Global

Visa Direct has taken its USDC stablecoin prefunding service into commercial production with Inyo Global, the first processor to offer it to clients.Visa announced the launch on Thursday, following the initial introduction of its stablecoin prefunding and payout pilots in 2025.Inyo serves money transmitters, fintechs, banks, and payment companies. Its platform provides onboarding, fraud and compliance services, payment acceptance, and domestic and international payouts through Visa Direct across more than 180 countries.With Circle's (CRCL) (USDC) prefunding added to Inyo's payments platform, businesses can now use it to fund cross-border payouts through Visa Direct in near real time, including when traditional funding windows are closed, Visa said. The service is available through Inyo's existing APIs, subject to eligibility and geographic restrictions."Innovation in money movement is ultimately about creating a better experience for customers," Inyo Global co-founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer Robson Dantas said in the statement. "By integrating Visa Direct's stablecoin-enabled prefunding into the Inyo platform, we're giving the money transmitters, fintechs and payment companies we serve a new way to fund their payouts, one that is available around the clock and runs through the same Inyo APIs they already use."Visa Direct's stablecoin pilotsVisa started testing stablecoin prefunding in September 2025, initially with USDC and EURC. The trial concerned how businesses funded their payments, rather than what recipients received. Visa subsequently tested USDC payouts last November, giving eligible recipients the option of receiving the stablecoin directly.In August, Visa said it was working with zerohash to support stablecoin funding and payouts through Visa Direct. The announcement identified zerohash as the technology and regulatory infrastructure provider for that collaboration.Visa also settled $750,000 in payment obligations with Lloyds during a seven-day USDC trial earlier this month. The funds reached Visa in less than an hour, including over the weekend, the firms said."The next chapter for stablecoins is adoption," Vira Platonova, global head of Visa Direct, said on Thursday. She said several years of work with clients and partners has led to live implementations to improve money movement, helping businesses access more flexible and efficient ways to fund and move money globally.