Visa and Nium Launch Stablecoin Settlement Pilot via MAS BLOOM Initiative

Visa and Nium have launched a pilot program to integrate stablecoin-based settlement into traditional payment rails under the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s BLOOM initiative. For fintech professionals, this marks a significant shift toward 24/7 liquidity management, moving beyond the constraints of standard business-day settlement cycles to improve cross-border capital efficiency.

What was announced

Visa has joined the Borderless, Liquid, Open, Online, Multi-currency (BLOOM) initiative, a project led by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The initiative is designed to expand the settlement capabilities of financial institutions by bridging the gap between legacy payment systems and stablecoin-based rails. As the first partner in this effort, Nium is working with Visa to pilot the use of regulated stablecoins for settlement purposes.

The pilot focuses on overcoming the limitations of current payment settlements, which are typically restricted to business days. By utilizing stablecoins, Visa and Nium are testing a framework that allows settlements to occur seven days a week, including weekends and public holidays. This capability aims to eliminate traditional banking delays and provide financial institutions with immediate access to funds regardless of the calendar date.

The technical scope of the pilot includes support for regulated stablecoins backed by major fiat currencies, specifically targeting US dollar and euro-denominated assets. The goal is to provide a programmable form of payment that maintains the security and compliance standards of the existing Visa network while introducing the speed and flexibility of blockchain-based settlement. For businesses, this translates to more efficient treasury management, while consumers benefit from a seamless experience that masks the underlying technical complexity of the transaction.

"The future of payments will be shaped by how different forms of money and payment networks work together for different use cases. Through BLOOM and our pilot with Nium in Singapore, we are exploring how stablecoins can complement existing payment infrastructure, enabling greater flexibility in settlement while preserving the security, resilience and compliance standards that underpin global commerce. As digital payments continue to evolve, interoperability will be critical to delivering meaningful value across the financial ecosystem."

Adeline Kim, Group Country Manager for Regional Southeast Asia and SVP, Global Clients & Acquirers, Asia Pacific, Visa

The companies involved

Visa is a global leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. As a dominant force in the card network space, the company has increasingly focused on diversifying its infrastructure to include new payment flows beyond traditional credit and debit transactions.

Nium is a major player in the real-time cross-border payments sector. The company provides the underlying infrastructure for banks and businesses to move money globally, offering a suite of tools for payouts, pay-ins, and card issuance. Nium has established itself as a key bridge between traditional finance and modern digital ecosystems, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) serves as Singapore's central bank and integrated financial regulator. MAS has been a proactive proponent of digital asset regulation and financial innovation, frequently launching sandbox environments and collaborative initiatives like BLOOM to test the viability of emerging technologies within a regulated framework.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed Visa’s expanding ecosystem and its efforts to modernize credit and settlement infrastructure. Recently, we covered how Visa, _able, and Onafriq Partner to Expand Visa Flex Credential Across CEMEA Markets, highlighting the company's focus on flexible payment credentials. We also reported on infrastructure partnerships such as when REPAY Signs Reseller Agreement with Visa to Empower ISOs and ISVs with Direct Visa Platform Connect Access.

Regarding Nium, FF News recently detailed the company's geographic growth in Nium Expands Global Infrastructure with Domestic Card Issuance Launch in the United States. Additionally, the broader trend of merging fiat and digital assets was reflected in our coverage of how Lithic and Monavate Partner to Streamline Fiat and Digital Asset Card Issuing.

What this means

This announcement moves the needle by signaling that "always-on" settlement is no longer a theoretical blockchain use case but a functional priority for the world’s largest payment networks. By moving settlement into a 24/7 cycle, Visa and Nium are putting pressure on traditional correspondent banking networks that still rely on batch processing and restricted operating hours. The shift toward US dollar and euro-backed stablecoins for settlement suggests that the industry is coalescing around regulated, fiat-pegged assets rather than volatile cryptocurrencies. However, this raises critical questions for the sector regarding global regulatory harmonization; while Singapore provides a clear framework for these pilots, the interoperability of these "liquid" rails across different jurisdictions remains a significant hurdle for universal adoption.