Payments Landscape I: Stablecoin Money Movement (On-Demand Single Course)

Develop a foundational understanding of stablecoins and gain insight into the innovations shaping the future of digital currency and on-chain payments. 

Start by exploring the broader digital asset landscape, including cryptocurrencies, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and tokenized deposits, to understand how digital value is created and transferred on blockchain networks. Gain a basic understanding of how blockchains work, how smart contracts enable programmable payments and how stablecoins emerged to combine price stability with the speed and efficiency of on-chain transactions. 

Next, build a clear understanding of what stablecoins are, how they maintain price stability and what distinguishes fiat-backed, crypto‑collateralized and algorithmic designs. Trace the growth of stablecoins in the global marketplace and discover why businesses, fintechs and financial institutions are increasingly evaluating on-chain solutions for payments, remittances, treasury operations and new digital experiences. Explore common myths and misconceptions about stablecoins and gain clarity on their real capabilities and limitations. 

Then, dive deeper into how stablecoins work in practice. Study the minting and redemption process, different types of wallets, how users send and receive stablecoins and what happens during an on-chain transaction. Learn about the role of blockchain networks — from Layer 1s to Layer 2s — and how speed, cost and scalability influence real-world payment use cases. Understand the key risks associated with stablecoins, including de-pegging, smart contract vulnerabilities and user safety considerations, and learn how organizations manage compliance, fraud prevention and transaction monitoring in an on-chain environment. 

Continue by exploring the application of stablecoins in payments, including merchant acceptance, cross-border payouts, remittances and treasury use cases. Evaluate how stablecoins compare to traditional payment flows and where they introduce new opportunities for efficiency, speed and programmability. Understand the infrastructure that supports stablecoin movement, including on/off ramps, liquidity considerations and the emerging network of providers building on-chain financial services. 

Conclude the self-paced learning section of the course with an overview of how Visa participates in the stablecoin ecosystem. Discover how Visa enables stablecoin settlement, supports partners exploring  payment flows and uses tools like Visa’s Onchain Analytics Dashboard to deliver insights. Through client case studies, see how financial institutions, fintechs and global platforms are leveraging stablecoins in real-world scenarios. 

Upon completion of the course, you will return to your role with a clear understanding of how stablecoins work, how they are being used today and how they may influence the future of payments, and will be ready to contribute to your organization’s strategy and adapt to this emerging area of innovation.