CoinDesk reported on Tuesday that Visa is looking for a new stablecoin settlement partner, from documents it said it saw. Mastercard completed its purchase of BVNK on 3 August. Visa declined to comment. No replacement is named.
This is a hunt. It is not a signed deal.
Four licences. No partner on the tape.
The documents, as CoinDesk printed them, want a firm that can hold crypto-exchange licences in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore, and that can swap and support a range of stablecoins. CoinDesk said Visa is looking at “one settlement and an over-the-counter (OTC) partner in particular.”
| Item |
Print |
| Who |
Visa |
| What |
request for a new stablecoin settlement and OTC partner |
| Why |
Mastercard completed the BVNK purchase on 3 August 2026 |
| Licences wanted |
US, UK, Canada, Singapore |
| Status |
search. Visa declined comment. No replacement named |
| Source |
CoinDesk, Tuesday 18 August 2026 |
Mastercard’s 3 August close release does not restate a price. The 17 March announcement put the deal at up to $1.8 billion, including $300 million contingent. Mastercard’s 10-Q has $1.5 billion plus up to $300 million contingent. That is not “paid $1.8 billion on 3 August.”
Open USD is in the documents. It is not live.
CoinDesk says the request talks about settlement for Open USD (OUSD), “fronted by Stripe, Visa and Mastercard.” That is CoinDesk’s read of the documents. It is not a Visa comment. The official Open USD line, from 30 June, is “live later this year.” It is not live.
No partner name. No award date. No fee or spread. Visa did not announce the search.
The US stablecoin rule map is in Treasury’s GENIUS Act NPRM.
Informational only. Not trading advice, signals, or a guarantee of any market outcome.
Written and fact-checked with AI assistance, reviewed by a human editor before publication.
