Visa Launches Stablecoin Platform for Open USD as Circle Shares Fall 5%
Updated
Updated · CoinDesk · Jul 16
Visa Launches Stablecoin Platform for Open USD as Circle Shares Fall 5%
3 articles · Updated · CoinDesk · Jul 16
Summary
Visa on Thursday rolled out the Visa Stablecoin Platform, letting banks, fintechs and crypto firms issue, store, transfer and redeem Open USD through one Visa-managed system.
The service combines wallet infrastructure, blockchain connectivity and Visa's payment network so institutions can add stablecoins to treasury, settlement and payment products without replacing existing systems.
Open USD is backed by Open Standard, whose supporters include Visa, BlackRock, Alphabet and Coinbase, and its no-fee minting model returns most reserve income to distribution partners.
Circle shares fell about 5% as investors weighed whether that revenue-sharing approach could pressure the economics of established issuers such as USDC in a more competitive stablecoin market.
Can Visa's corporate alliance for Open USD succeed where previous consortium stablecoins like Meta's Diem failed?
Will this platform finally make stablecoins a credible replacement for traditional global payment systems like SWIFT?
With giants backing a fee-less model, is the profitable stablecoin era for companies like Circle and Tether now over?
Open USD and the $1.5 Trillion Stablecoin Revolution: How a Consortium Model Threatens Circle, Tether, and the Future of Digital Money
Overview
Open USD (OUSD), announced in June 2026, marks a major shift in digital finance by introducing a stablecoin designed for openness, low cost, high throughput, and broad accessibility. Unlike existing stablecoins that face adoption barriers for large-scale business use, OUSD aims to create a shared, neutral standard that aligns the interests of all participants—issuers, merchants, and consumers. By fostering a network effect similar to SWIFT, Visa, and Mastercard, OUSD seeks to redefine how programmable money moves globally. Its launch drew immediate attention from industry leaders, highlighting its potential to reshape the stablecoin landscape.