Americans Would Use Stablecoins—If They Came With Bank Protections, Visa Study Finds
Visa's Money Travels 2026 report finds U.S. willingness to use stablecoins for international transfers would rise from 36% to 56% if the tokens were accompanied by bank-level fraud protections and deposit insurance. The study also shows low awareness of stablecoins—56% of U.S. respondents said they had never heard of them—and greater trust when digital currencies are offered by familiar financial providers.
Why It Matters
The results suggest consumer adoption of stablecoins for cross-border payments may hinge on trust and familiar regulatory protections rather than technology alone. Visa, which is already processing stablecoin settlements at scale, highlighted the hypothetical nature of the insurance scenario and did not imply such protections exist or are forthcoming.
Key Facts
- Increase in U.S. willingness with bank protections: From 36% to 56%
- U.S. respondents unfamiliar with stablecoins: 56% have never heard of stablecoins
- Interest when offered through existing financial provider: Rises to 45%
- Trust in potential providers: 61% trust a traditional bank; 60% trust a global payment network
- Latin America willingness with protections: Rises from 34% to 74%
Visa's Money Travels 2026 report finds that hypothetical bank-like safeguards substantially increase Americans' stated willingness to use stablecoins for cross-border transfers. In the survey scenario that added fraud protection and deposit insurance, U.S. willingness climbed from 36% to 56%, according to Visa. The company emphasized that the scenario was hypothetical and does not indicate such protections are currently available or planned.
Awareness of stablecoins remains limited among U.S. adults. Some 56% of respondents said they had never heard of stablecoins, and among those familiar with the tokens many mistakenly believed they fluctuate like Bitcoin. Interest in using stablecoins was higher when the service was offered through an established financial provider, rising to 45% in that framing.
Trust in familiar institutions was a consistent theme: about six in 10 Americans said they would trust a traditional bank (61%) or a global payment network (60%) with digital currency services. Concerns about fraud also featured strongly in responses—36% of U.S. remitters reported experiencing a cross-border payment scam, and 44% expressed worry about AI deepfakes being used to impersonate relatives.
The pattern of increased willingness with added protections extended beyond the United States. Visa reported that in Latin America the share willing to use stablecoins jumped from 34% to 74% under the hypothetical protections. The survey was conducted by Morning Consult from Feb. 24 to March 2, polling 45,445 people across 20 markets, including 2,192 U.S. adults. Visa, which has been building stablecoin settlement capabilities for several years, said its stablecoin settlement volume is now running at an annualized rate above $20 billion, up from a $3.5 billion run rate when it began U.S. settlement in USDC on Solana last December. In August, Visa Direct added stablecoin payouts through Zerohash.
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