Visa, the global digital payments giant, has published new research showing that consumers across Asia Pacific increasingly see stablecoins as a tool for daily spending and cross-border transfers. The same research finds that weak understanding and fears over fraud could slow wider uptake.
The survey found that 46% of respondents expect to use stablecoins within five years, against just 16% who had used them over the previous year. Interest covers online shopping, spending while travelling and purchases from overseas retailers, which suggests the assets could serve purposes beyond speculation. Nearly half (49%) think stablecoins could become a mainstream method for sending money internationally within the same period, which points to possible relevance for remittances and international transfers.
Knowledge has not kept up with this enthusiasm. Some 49% of consumers familiar with stablecoins wrongly assume they can only be used to trade other cryptocurrencies. Overall awareness across the region stands at 66%, but only 6% of respondents could correctly explain how stablecoins function. Another 41% mistakenly believe their value always rises.
Hong Kong led on awareness at 84%, followed by India at 80% and Thailand at 77%. Vietnam and India each recorded 67% on intent to use stablecoins within five years, the highest in the survey.
Trust remains a significant obstacle. Among consumers who know about stablecoins but have never used them, 38% cited worries about scams or fraud and 36% said they did not understand them well enough. Respondents most trusted providers backed by governments or central banks (27%), followed by banks and regulated financial institutions (26%).
Visa operates a global payments network and is partnering with banks, regulated institutions and payment providers to embed stablecoin functionality into established payment channels.
This includes the Visa Stablecoin Platform, which allows clients to mint, move and manage stablecoins. The company argues that adoption will depend less on awareness and more on making stablecoins secure, compliant and simple to use in everyday transactions.
Visa head of digital currencies, Asia Pacific Nischint Sanghavi said, “We’re seeing a meaningful shift in how consumers across Asia Pacific think about stablecoins. Consumers are beginning to see how stablecoins could support the ways they already spend and move money, particularly through online purchases, travel and cross-border transfers. The opportunity now is to turn that interest into trusted and familiar payment experiences that work at scale.”
Sanghavi said, “This research confirms what we’ve been building toward. Consumers want stablecoins to feel like a natural part of the payments they already trust, not a separate system. Our role is to connect emerging stablecoin technology with the secure, familiar payment experiences consumers rely on every day.”
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