Visa Study Finds Stablecoin Adoption Intent Rises From 36% to 56% With Bank-Style Protections

Visa’s Money Travels 2026 study found that U.S. stablecoin adoption intent climbed from 36% to 56%, a 20-point increase, when bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance were assumed. The finding reflects stated intent in that hypothetical scenario, not actual adoption, and suggests that safeguards are a major condition shaping willingness to use stablecoins.

Familiarity remains limited: 56% of U.S. consumers said they had never heard of stablecoins, according to Visa’s September 23, 2026 release.

Data Snapshot

MetricCurrentPreviousChangePeriodAs ofSourceU.S. stablecoin adoption intent with bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance56%36%—Hypothetical scenarioSeptember 23, 2026Visa Investor RelationsWillingness to use stablecoins when offered through an existing financial provider45%36%—U.S. consumersMarch 31, 2026VisaU.S. consumers saying trust depends more on who offers a payment method than on the technology itself64%——U.S. consumersSeptember 23, 2026Visa Investor RelationsU.S. consumers who have never heard of stablecoins56%——U.S. consumersSeptember 23, 2026Visa Investor RelationsU.S. adults surveyed2,192 adults——February 24 to March 2, 2026September 23, 2026Visa Investor Relations

Bank-level protections lift intent

Visa said U.S. adoption intent climbed from 36% to 56% when bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance were assumed. The result does not establish that those protections will be available across stablecoin products, nor does it measure actual use. It does show the scale of the difference in responses when those conditions were included.

For payments companies and financial institutions considering digital-currency offerings, the survey frames fraud protection and deposit insurance as central features of the consumer proposition. Visa’s published finding does not separate the individual effect of each safeguard.

Existing providers raise willingness in a separate test

Visa found that U.S. willingness to use stablecoins rose from 36% to 45% when they were offered through an existing financial provider, a result published in its Money Travels report on March 31, 2026. The 45% result is not directly interchangeable with the 56% figure: the existing-provider scenario tests distribution through an existing financial relationship, while the other combines bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance. Together, Visa’s findings place established financial relationships at the centre of U.S. respondents’ stated preferences.

Trust concentrates with familiar providers

The survey found that 64% of U.S. consumers said trust depends more on who offers a payment method than on the technology itself. Traditional commercial banks were trusted by 61% of respondents to provide digital currency services, while global payment networks were trusted by 60%.

Those figures help explain why an existing financial provider can alter stated willingness, but they do not identify whether consumers would favour a particular stablecoin issuer or product. The study instead captures broad views of provider categories and payment-method trust.

Awareness remains a constraint

The 56% of U.S. consumers who said they had never heard of stablecoins sits alongside the higher hypothetical adoption-intent reading, suggesting that the survey’s willingness figures describe a market where basic awareness is still far from universal.

Morning Consult conducted the U.S. survey for Visa from February 24 to March 2, 2026, surveying 2,192 adults. The global findings covered 45,445 respondents across 20 markets, though the adoption-intent and awareness figures cited here refer to the U.S. sample.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.