Digital money and stablecoins reshape global banking infrastructure

Digital money instruments, particularly stablecoins and tokenized deposits, are shifting from niche topics to the strategic core of the financial system. A study by Bain & Company suggests that the global supply of stablecoins could increase five- to twelve-fold by 2030. These instruments are transforming wholesale banking infrastructure by offering new ways to transfer and manage value, potentially addressing structural inefficiencies in international payments such as fragmented markets and high settlement costs.

In line with these shifts, Visa is expanding its payment network to include stablecoins and is participating in the Agentic Payments Alliance. This alliance aims to define infrastructure rules for AI-based transaction triggers, allowing autonomous systems to initiate and authorize defined transactions. Through VisaDirect, the company intends to integrate stablecoins into existing payment processes, such as pre-financing accounts, as the industry moves toward real-time, automated workflows.