Visa has released survey results indicating that bank-level fraud protection and insurance could accelerate stablecoin adoption for cross-border payments among United States users.

In a survey of 2,192 US-based customers published on Wednesday, Visa said the "adoption intention" for stablecoins among US users could climb from 36% to 56% "in a hypothetical scenario with bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance." The research, conducted by Morning Consult between February and March, found that Americans questioned about financial terms such as stablecoins are seeking faster and cheaper ways to send money abroad.

"Nearly two-thirds (64%) [of respondents] say trust depends more on who offers a payment method than on the tech itself," Visa said. "Willingness to use stablecoins rises from 36% to 45% when offered through an existing financial provider." Taken together, the figures indicate that the familiarity of the provider, not just the technology, is central to whether US consumers would use stablecoins for cross-border transfers.

The survey raised the possibility of bank-like protections for US stablecoin issuers at a time when companies are preparing for the enactment of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act. The bill awaits finalized rules from key US financial agencies ahead of its effective date, expected in January 2027.

Unlike products offered by traditional financial institutions such as banks, stablecoins lack many fraud protections and are not covered by deposit insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Under GENIUS starting in January, US stablecoins are still not expected to carry FDIC insurance or explicit fraud protection, though the legislation will include guidelines aimed at addressing illicit activity. Measured against that framework, the protections Visa tested in its hypothetical would exceed what the incoming US rules are currently expected to provide, leaving the pending agency rules as the milestone to watch for how stablecoin safeguards take shape.

EU Banks Push for Changes to Minimum Bank Deposit Rules for Stablecoins

On Tuesday, the European System of Central Banks called for changing rules that require stablecoins to hold at least 30% of reserves as bank deposits, or 60% for "significant" tokens. The group instead advocated liquidity thresholds for the assets, citing potential risks from users rapidly withdrawing deposits.

The proposed changes to how EU banks treat stablecoins fall under the region's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, which began enforcing its stablecoin rules in June 2024. The European debate illustrates how regulators on both sides of the Atlantic are taking differing approaches to stablecoin safeguards even as the asset class expands.

According to payments infrastructure firm Decta, the market capitalization of compliant euro stablecoins more than doubled from 2025 to 2026 heading into the end of MiCA's transition period. US dollar-pegged tokens such as USDC and USDT continue to lead the stablecoin sector, with a combined market capitalization of about $260 billion.