Visa Study Finds Stablecoin Adoption Intent Among Americans Could Jump From 36% to 56% With Bank-Level Protections

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• Visa’s Money Travels 2026 study found stablecoin adoption intent among US consumers rises from 36% to 56% when bank-level protections are offered
• The survey, conducted by Morning Consult, polled 2,192 US adults and 45,445 respondents across 20 markets globally between late February and early March 2026
• 61% of respondents said they trust traditional banks to handle digital currency, versus 60% for global payment networks, while 56% remain unfamiliar with stablecoins altogether

Visa published findings from its Money Travels 2026 report showing that consumer willingness to use stablecoins rises sharply once bank-level protections are part of the offering, according to the company’s announcement. Baseline adoption intent among US consumers sits at 36%, but that figure climbs to 56% when the stablecoin comes with protections comparable to what a traditional bank account offers, such as deposit safeguards and fraud protection.

The study, conducted for Visa by Morning Consult between February 24 and March 2, 2026, surveyed 2,192 adults in the United States and 45,445 respondents across 20 markets worldwide, giving Visa a cross-border view of how trust and familiarity shape stablecoin adoption rather than a single-market snapshot. Willingness to use stablecoins specifically through an established financial provider, rather than an unfamiliar standalone app, reached 45%, higher than the 36% baseline but still well below the 56% figure tied to bank-level protections.

Trust emerged as the central variable across the results. 61% of respondents said they trust traditional banks to handle digital currency, and 60% said the same of global payment networks, figures that outpace trust in newer, crypto-native platforms. At the same time, 56% of respondents said they remain unfamiliar with what stablecoins actually are, pointing to an education gap that sits alongside the trust gap as a barrier to adoption.

The report also touched on cross-border payment behavior more broadly: 36% of respondents said they had encountered a cross-border payment scam, 44% said they worry about AI deepfakes when sending money, and 24% said they had received an AI-generated message convincing enough to appear authentic. Twenty percent of respondents said they sacrifice personal spending to support family members abroad, underscoring the stakes involved in remittance security for a meaningful share of the population surveyed.

“Remittances are a lifeline, funding education, essentials, and investment back home. Our research shows what matters most to those who rely on that lifeline: trust,” said Vira Platonova, Global Head of Visa Direct. The findings give Visa a data point to support its own push into stablecoin infrastructure, framing bank-grade protections, rather than novelty or yield, as the feature most likely to convert stablecoin-curious consumers into active users.