#PaymentsInfrastructure
2 articles tagged #PaymentsInfrastructure — curated RWA tokenization coverage.
Visa launches stablecoin platform, taking the opposite path to Stripe
Visa has officially launched the Visa Stablecoin Platform (VSP), an enterprise-grade environment designed to facilitate the minting, redemption, holding, and transfer of stablecoins for financial institutions and fintech firms. The platform debuts with support for Open USD (OUSD), a consortium-backed stablecoin supported by over 140 partners, including Visa itself. By offering a wallet-as-a-service feature and robust operational controls like dual-approval workflows, Visa aims to simplify the technical complexities of stablecoin integration for traditional banks. This move signifies a strategic decision by Visa to maintain its historical role as a provider of payment rails and risk management infrastructure rather than acting as an issuer of currency. This approach contrasts sharply with competitors like Stripe, which have recently pursued different strategies for integrating stablecoin payments. By positioning itself as the underlying infrastructure layer, Visa is effectively bridging the gap between legacy financial systems and the growing stablecoin ecosystem. The launch of VSP represents a significant step in institutionalizing stablecoin adoption by providing a familiar, regulated-style framework for global money movement.
Lightspark becomes first payments company in Estonia to get MiCA licence
Lightspark Payments Europe AS has officially secured both a crypto-asset service provider (CASP) authorization and an electronic money institution (EMI) license from Estonia's Financial Supervision Authority. This dual regulatory approval makes Lightspark the first payments company in Estonia to achieve compliance under the European Union's comprehensive Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. By obtaining these licenses, the firm gains the legal standing to offer regulated digital asset and electronic money services across the European Economic Area. This development is significant for the RWA market as it establishes a clear regulatory pathway for infrastructure providers to bridge traditional fiat payment rails with blockchain-based assets. The integration of MiCA-compliant EMI and CASP status reduces jurisdictional uncertainty for firms looking to tokenize assets or facilitate cross-border payments within the EU. As institutional adoption of tokenized assets grows, such regulatory milestones provide the necessary legal certainty for large-scale financial operations. Lightspark's achievement underscores the increasing importance of Estonia as a hub for compliant crypto-financial services within the broader European market.