Consumer willingness to adopt stablecoins is significantly tied to the perceived trustworthiness of the provider and the hypothetical presence of bank-level safeguards, rather than the underlying technology, a Visa-sponsored survey indicates. The study suggests that a majority of Americans would be more inclined to use stablecoins if they were offered with protections such as fraud protection and deposit insurance.
A survey conducted by Morning Consult found that 56% of Americans would use stablecoins with hypothetical bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance, compared to 36% who would use them without these safeguards. This highlights that for many consumers, trust in a payment method depends more on the provider than the technology itself, with 64% of Americans holding this view.
When an existing financial provider offered stablecoins, willingness to use them rose to 45%. Traditional banks and global payment networks emerged as the most trusted providers for digital currency services, with 61% and 60% of respondents, respectively, expressing trust. Globally, this trust figure stood at 69% for providers of digital currency services.
However, a significant portion of the population remains unaware of stablecoins, with 56% of respondents having never heard of them. Among those familiar with stablecoins, many assumed they fluctuated in value like Bitcoin, indicating a gap in understanding.
The survey also revealed a consumer willingness to prioritize security over speed in financial transactions. With more than a third of Americans having encountered fraud, 45% of respondents indicated they would accept a 24-hour delay on a transfer for stronger protection. Concerns about security are further amplified by the fact that 44% of Americans worry about AI deepfakes impersonating family members.
It is crucial to note that the safeguards mentioned in the survey are hypothetical, and no stablecoin currently carries deposit insurance. The survey involved 2,192 U.S. adults and is part of a larger study covering 45,445 people across 20 markets, with a focus on remittances.
Visa plays a role in the stablecoin ecosystem, serving as a founding validator on Circle’s Arc blockchain alongside entities like BlackRock and Mastercard. The company also handles a significant portion of stablecoin card transactions, which reached $18 billion in 2025, according to Artemis. In August of the previous year, Visa expanded its settlement stablecoins to include PayPal USD (PYUSD) and the Global Dollar (USDG), utilizing chains like Stellar and Avalanche.
Visa indicated that stablecoins represent a growing share of cross-border money flows. Dollar stablecoins in circulation currently total approximately $312 billion, with Tether’s USDT accounting for $184 billion and Circle’s USDC for $76 billion, according to DefiLlama.
These findings suggest that for stablecoins to achieve broader adoption, providers must focus on building trust through established financial frameworks and robust security measures, addressing consumer concerns about fraud and the need for reliable oversight. The path forward for the industry, as suggested by Vira Platonova, Global Head of Visa Direct, will be determined by providers who prioritize earning that trust.
Why This Matters
The materials describe a narrow update: A Visa-sponsored survey found that 56% of Americans would use stablecoins if they were offered with bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance, compared to 36% without these hypothetical safeguards. The actual availability of bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance for stablecoins.
Broader Context
Source materials place the factual news in this context: The report, Money Travels 2026, draws on a Morning Consult survey of 2,192 U.S. adults run from February 24 to March 2. The full survey covers 45,445 people across 20 markets and is built around remittances.
