A new Visa Consumer 360 study released on October 5, 2026, shows a sharp gap between awareness and actual understanding of stablecoins among Asia Pacific consumers. The survey of 14,250 adults aged 18 to 65 across 14 markets between June and July found that 66% of respondents were aware of stablecoins and 46% said they were likely to use them within the next five years. Sixteen percent reported using one in the past 12 months, while 49% believed stablecoins could become a common way to move money across borders in the same period.
However, only 6% demonstrated an accurate understanding of how stablecoins work. Misconceptions were widespread: 41% thought stablecoins always increase in value, and 49% of those aware of them believed they could only be used to buy and sell other cryptocurrencies. Awareness was highest in Hong Kong at 84%, followed by India at 80% and Thailand at 77%. Vietnam and India recorded the strongest intent to use stablecoins, both at 67%. Among aware non-users, 38% cited fraud or scam concerns and 36% pointed to a lack of understanding. Respondents most trusted government or central bank-linked entities as stablecoin providers at 27%, followed by banks and regulated financial institutions at 26%.
Visa’s head of digital currencies for Asia Pacific, Nischint Sanghavi, said consumers want stablecoins to feel like a natural part of the payments they already trust, not a separate system. The findings align with Visa’s commercial interests: the company launched its Visa Stablecoin Platform in July as a beta service allowing banks, fintechs and payment providers to mint, move and manage stablecoins, starting with Open USD. Visa is also a founding partner of Open Standard, the consortium behind OUSD, which went live last week across Base, Ethereum, Solana and Tempo.
In a separate announcement, Visa and Abu Dhabi-based ADI Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to explore how blockchain infrastructure could work alongside Visa’s global payment network. The collaboration focuses on digital payment solutions, payment infrastructure and digital finance services, combining Visa’s payments network with ADI’s distributed ledger infrastructure. No specific blockchain, stablecoin, product or launch date was announced. ADI says its ADI Chain is designed for institutional blockchain adoption, with a focus on stablecoins and real-world assets in the Middle East and North Africa.
Visa’s senior vice president and global head of money movement, Vira Platonova, said financial institutions are exploring new ways to exchange value as trusted networks and interoperability become more important. ADI Foundation Chief Business Officer Svyatoslav Senyuta said the next stage of digital finance depends on infrastructure capable of working with institutions that already move money globally.
The partnership follows a series of Visa blockchain payment and settlement projects. Earlier this year, Lloyds used USDC to settle $750,000 in payment obligations with Visa during a seven-day live pilot, completing settlement in under an hour, including on weekends. Visa has also worked with South Korea’s Shinhan Financial Group on stablecoin payment infrastructure and with Dunamu on stablecoin payments, international remittances and AI-based financial services. By September, Visa’s stablecoin-linked card network had reached 160 programs, with stablecoin payment volume running nearly 200% above the prior-year level and an annualized stablecoin settlement rate of $20 billion.
ADI Foundation is registered as a distributed ledger technology foundation in Abu Dhabi Global Market under the DLT Foundations Regulations 2023 and was founded by Sirius International Holding, the technology-focused subsidiary of International Holding Company. While ADI lists BlackRock, Mastercard, Visa and Franklin Templeton among global institutions it works with, the Visa agreement remains exploratory and does not guarantee future performance.
