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Visa has announced a strategic alliance with WeFi, a blockchain payments infrastructure provider, aimed at bringing onchain banking and payment capabilities to users worldwide. Under the partnership, users will be able to spend digital assets wherever Visa is accepted, while retaining control of their own wallets, according to both companies.
The collaboration is designed to address what the organizations describe as the “last half mile” challenge in blockchain banking—bridging cryptocurrency-based financial services with the conventional banking infrastructure businesses and individuals rely on daily.
WeFi is described as an intermediary layer linking DeFi ecosystems with traditional regulated payment networks. Reeve Collins, a co-founder of WeFi and a former CEO of Tether, said the system will provide users with banking capabilities including International Bank Account Numbers (IBANs). Collins also said that securing financial operating licenses across multiple jurisdictions is a key part of the expansion strategy.
Visa and WeFi said the deployment will follow a phased, geographical approach. Initial deployment will focus on designated countries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Further expansion will depend on obtaining regulatory permissions and establishing relationships with regional banking institutions, with the companies indicating they plan to continuously onboard additional banking collaborators.
The primary target demographic is underbanked populations—people who lack consistent access to conventional financial services. Collins said the platform is intended to serve these communities with stablecoin-powered payment solutions and blockchain-based value preservation.
WeFi characterized its technology as an orchestration infrastructure that integrates DeFi applications with regulated payment systems. The system is described as supporting international transactions and enabling value storage on blockchain platforms, allowing users to maintain and use digital assets in ways compatible with traditional financial ecosystems.
Visa’s international network is cited as providing connectivity to a payment infrastructure serving consumers and businesses across more than 200 nations. Visa’s Head of Product and Solutions in Europe, Mathieu Altwegg, said the collaboration shows how Visa’s network can integrate with blockchain financial systems while maintaining compliance with existing regulatory frameworks.
Collins said the objective is delivering complete banking account functionality without requiring users to access conventional financial institutions. He also indicated that WeFi plans to distribute IBANs as the platform expands.
Neither Visa nor WeFi disclosed the financial arrangements underlying the partnership.
The announcement was published on April 28, 2026.
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