Visa Partners with Tether Co-founder Reeve Collins... Expanding Global Financial Inclusion via On-chain Financial Infrastructure 'Wefi'

On April 28, 2026, global payments giant Visa entered into a strategic partnership with Wefi, an on-chain banking platform founded by Tether co-founder Reeve Collins. This collaboration marks a significant turning point in digital asset strategy, focusing on increasing the practical utility of stablecoins by combining regulated banking systems with blockchain infrastructure.

Wefi CEO Maksym Sakharov emphasized that the entry of cryptocurrency into mainstream financial markets depends on whether the technology actually works in practice. This partnership is expected to solve the chronic 'last mile' problem of stablecoin payments and provide a blueprint for offering stable financial services to the world's financially underserved populations.

The collaboration between Visa and Wefi was officially announced today, with Tether pioneer Reeve Collins adding weight as a key advisor and founder of the project. CEO Sakharov stated that Wefi's ultimate goal is to achieve financial inclusion by providing robust stablecoin payment infrastructure to the world's under-banked population.

The Deobank model starts from the observation that the basic infrastructure of modern finance is outdated, but the institutions and safeguards built upon it are not the problem themselves. What needs to change is not the entire system, but the rails on which finance flows.

The 'Deobanking' model proposed by Wefi is an innovative approach that directly connects existing regulated banking infrastructure with blockchain-based rails. The platform provides an integrated balance system that manages fiat and stablecoin balances in a single account, featuring a security design that strictly prohibits the platform from unilaterally moving assets without user authorization.

Visa's 2026 Blockchain Expansion Moves

This collaboration with Wefi is an extension of Visa's institutional blockchain moves, which have been accelerating in 2026. On March 25, 2026, Visa was selected as a Super Validator for the Canton Network, beginning to support financial institutions in building on-chain payment flows while protecting privacy.

• March 25, 2026: Visa selected as a Super Validator for the Canton Network, supporting on-chain payment flows for financial institutions.
• April 14, 2026: Participated as an anchor validator for the Tempo blockchain to verify transactions and accelerate infrastructure.
• April 28, 2026: Signed a strategic partnership with Wefi and Reeve Collins to begin development of an on-chain banking platform.

Visa also joined the Tempo network as an anchor validator on April 14, 2026, actively supporting the development of on-chain payment infrastructure. This series of moves is evidence that Visa is moving beyond simply accepting cryptocurrency payments to becoming a core operator and infrastructure provider of blockchain networks.

The involvement of Tether co-founder Reeve Collins is a key factor in enhancing the credibility of the Wefi platform. Based on his experience issuing Tether, the world's first fiat-collateralized stablecoin, Collins is contributing to Wefi's efforts to build a more robust and reliable payment infrastructure for users worldwide. His expertise is expected to play a crucial role in establishing stablecoins as a practical means of payment.

Wefi adheres to a 'no rehypothecation' policy, meaning it does not pool user assets or use them for lending. All assets are kept securely at the user's unique address, and these technical safeguards combine the reliability of traditional financial systems with the transparency of blockchain to grant users a high level of security and control.

In conclusion, the collaboration between Visa and Wefi has significant potential to contribute to the expansion of global financial inclusion. The combination of an integrated balance system and cryptocurrency debit cards provides those outside the traditional banking system with the opportunity to use stablecoins as an everyday payment tool, marking a historic turning point where traditional finance and decentralized infrastructure converge.