Global payments giant Visa has made a strategic investment in British crypto startup BVNK

Visa Invests in BVNK

Global payments giant Visa has made a strategic investment in British crypto startup BVNK, further indicating its commitment to advancing stablecoin adoption in global commerce.

The investment, made by Visa Ventures, was announced Tuesday by BVNK CEO and co-founder Jesse Hemson-Struthers. It marks a significant milestone for the London-based firm.

This partnership builds upon BVNK’s recent $50M Series B funding round and unites Visa’s vast network with BVNK’s cutting-edge stablecoin technology. Together, they aim to provide businesses with efficient, secure payment rails.

Founded in 2021, BVNK has rapidly emerged as a key player in the digital payments sector by building infrastructure that allows businesses to process and manage stablecoin transactions at scale.

Currently, the startup processes $12 billion in annualized stablecoin payments and operates from offices in London, New York, and San Francisco. It has also received licensing approvals across several U.S. states as it ramps up its North American expansion.

The Visa-BVNK deal follows BVNK’s $50 million Series B funding round in December 2024, which saw participation from heavyweight investors including Haun Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Tiger Global, Scribble Ventures, DRW Venture Capital, and Avenir. The continued investor confidence is reflective of the surging demand for faster, more efficient cross-border payment solutions.

Visa’s expansion into Stablecoins

Visa, well-known for its pioneering role in global finance, is increasingly engaging with blockchain technologies and digital currencies. Last month the company piloted a stablecoin-backed credit card initiative in South America in partnership with crypto firm Bridge, aiming to allow consumers in countries like Argentina and Mexico to spend stablecoins using traditional Visa infrastructure.

Meanwhile. commenting on the BVNK investment, Rubail Birwadker, Visa’s Head of Growth Products and Partnerships, emphasized the growing importance of stablecoins.

“Stablecoins are fast becoming a part of global payment flows. Visa invests in technologies and companies like BVNK to stay at the forefront of what’s next in commerce,” Birwadker said.

According to Visa’s own Onchain Analytics report, more than $27 trillion in stablecoin transactions were processed globally in the past year alone, spread across over 1.25 billion transactions. These figures highlight a major shift in global finance, with stablecoins emerging as an alternative to the traditional correspondent banking system, an area that BVNK is aiming to disrupt.

Hemson-Struthers sees the Visa partnership as a transformative opportunity.

“Combining Visa’s global network with our programmable stablecoin infrastructure opens up new possibilities for the digital economy,” Hemson-Struthers added. “It’s about redefining how businesses move money.”

That said, the latest deal reflects a broader industry trend, with Visa’s increasingly look to digital assets to improve payment systems. With stablecoins rapidly evolving from niche use to mainstream utility, BVNK’s infrastructure could play a foundational role in shaping the future of digital payments.