Visa study finds stablecoin intent rises to 56% with safeguards

Stablecoin interest depends on protections and providers

Visa published Money Travels 2026, a report on how technology is reshaping remittances, based on a Morning Consult survey conducted from February 24 to March 2, 2026. The U.S. sample covered 2,192 adults, with global findings drawn from 45,445 respondents across 20 markets.

Stablecoin adoption intent rose from 36% to 56% in a hypothetical scenario that included bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance, Visa said. The report notes such protections are hypothetical and that stablecoins are not currently covered by deposit insurance. Willingness also rose from 36% to 45% when stablecoins were offered through an existing financial provider; 64% said trust depends more on who offers a payment method than on the technology itself.

Traditional institutions retained trust advantages, with 61% trusting traditional commercial banks and 60% trusting global payment networks to provide digital currency services. Visa also reported that 56% of respondents had never heard of stablecoins, and that misconceptions are common among those who have.

Scam exposure and spending pressure

The study found 36% of U.S. respondents had encountered a scam related to international money transfers, citing fake messages, account impersonation and fake investment schemes. About one in four, 24%, reported receiving AI-generated messages that seemed real, and 44% were concerned about AI deepfakes impersonating family members.

Visa also reported that about one in five senders cut their own spending to support family abroad. Vira Platonova, Global Head of Visa Direct, said the research shows trust matters most to those who rely on remittances, according to the release.