Visa has made a strategic investment in stablecoin platform BVNK, marking a significant milestone in the payment giant’s growing embrace of digital assets, according to an announcement Thursday.

This investment follows BVNK’s successful $50 million Series B funding round in December, which was led by Haun Ventures with participation from major players including Coinbase Ventures and Tiger Global. The fresh capital has already fueled BVNK’s expansion into the US market, with new offices established in San Francisco and New York.

“We’re proud to support BVNK as they help accelerate global adoption of stablecoin payments,” said Rubail Birwadker, Head of Growth Products and Partnerships at Visa, in a statement. While the financial details of Visa’s investment remain undisclosed, the move represents Visa’s first strategic investment specifically in stablecoin infrastructure.

Birwadker emphasized that this investment reflects Visa’s conviction that stablecoins are becoming an integral part of the global payments landscape. “Stablecoins are fast becoming a part of global payment flows, and Visa invests in new technologies and builders like BVNK, staying at the forefront of what’s next in commerce to better serve our clients and partners,” he said.

BVNK, which processes an impressive $12 billion annually, positions itself as the backend infrastructure for businesses looking to integrate blockchain-based money movement. To strengthen its American operations, the company recently hired former BlockFi executive Amit Cheela and Cross River’s Keith Vander Leest.

Jesse Hemson Struthers, Co-Founder & CEO of BVNK, shared his enthusiasm about the partnership: “We’re experiencing a once-in-a-generation shift to a new foundational payment technology, powered by stablecoins. At BVNK, we’re building the infrastructure to make these new rails accessible to businesses, empowering them to operate at the speed of today’s economy. We’re thrilled to welcome Visa – the original payments innovator – as an investor and partner in our mission to upgrade the global payment system.”

This investment is just one component of Visa’s expanding stablecoin strategy. The company has rapidly moved beyond pilot programs to implement stablecoin payments across its global network at scale.

Earlier this month, Visa announced a partnership with Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure startup, enabling stablecoin-linked Visa cards in multiple countries through a single API integration. The payments giant is also collaborating with other partners such as Baanx and Rain to explore and develop various stablecoin use cases.

Industry sources indicate that Visa is planning to join the Global Dollar Network, a consortium focused on USDG, which is described as a fully-backed, programmable digital dollar.