Sam Altman’s World Network in Talks with Visa to Develop Stablecoin Wallet(24.05.2025)
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s cryptocurrency venture, World Network, is reportedly in discussions with payments giant Visa to develop a stablecoin-based payments wallet, according to sources familiar with the matter. The partnership could transform the firm’s World Wallet into a globally accessible, self-custodied financial tool—essentially a “mini bank account” for users transacting in digital and fiat currencies.
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What’s Happening?
The discussions, first reported by CoinDesk, suggest that Tools for Humanity—the company co-founded by Altman and the parent of both Worldcoin and World Network—has circulated product request forms to several card issuers, including Visa. The initiative aims to integrate Visa’s payment infrastructure into World Network’s digital wallet, allowing users to spend stablecoins at millions of merchants worldwide.
Expanding Capabilities
If finalized, the integration would enable a range of features typically associated with neobank offerings: fiat on-ramps and off-ramps, foreign exchange services, peer-to-peer transfers, and support for both crypto and traditional assets. Users would be able to fund their wallets, transfer money, trade currencies, and spend directly using a Visa-backed card.
The startup has also engaged with crypto card facilitator Rain, a firm backed by Coinbase and Circle. Rain provides infrastructure for on-chain Visa cards and has previously partnered with blockchain platforms such as Optimism and Avalanche.
The discussions follow World Network’s recent rollout of World Chat, a messaging application that includes peer-to-peer crypto payments.
Official Silence
Neither Visa nor Tools for Humanity has confirmed the talks. Both companies declined to comment when contacted by CoinDesk and other outlets.
Implications for the Industry
The potential partnership underscores a broader trend in the financial sector: the accelerating convergence between traditional finance and blockchain technology. By leveraging Visa’s global network, World Network could address one of the major friction points in crypto adoption—real-world usability.
Industry analysts note that such a wallet, if brought to market, could serve as a gateway to digital finance for underbanked populations and position stablecoins as a practical alternative to conventional bank accounts.
Visa, alongside rival Mastercard, has increasingly explored blockchain integrations in recent years, signaling a shift in how legacy payment providers view digital assets—not as threats, but as strategic opportunities.
What to Watch
Should the partnership move forward, it could serve as a bellwether for broader stablecoin adoption. Financial incumbents and crypto-native companies alike are racing to bridge the gap between decentralized finance and the traditional economy.
With regulatory discussions around stablecoins still evolving, the outcome of this initiative could also influence how future digital wallets are designed, regulated, and adopted at scale.
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