Visa Says It Wants to Build the Rails for Lending in ‘Onchain Finance,' Its New Name for DeFi

Visa is positioning itself as a major infrastructure provider for decentralized finance (DeFi) through its newly branded "Onchain Finance" initiative, signaling traditional finance's growing embrace of blockchain technology. The global payments giant announced plans to build lending rails for cryptocurrency and digital asset transactions, potentially revolutionizing how DeFi protocols interact with mainstream financial services.

This strategic move represents Visa's aggressive expansion into the blockchain ecosystem, where it aims to leverage its existing payment infrastructure to support Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrency lending platforms. The rebranding from "DeFi" to "Onchain Finance" suggests Visa's intent to make blockchain-based financial services more accessible to traditional institutions and consumers.

Visa's entry into onchain lending could significantly impact the cryptocurrency market by providing institutional-grade infrastructure for DeFi applications. This development may drive increased adoption of digital assets and blockchain protocols, as major financial institutions gain access to reliable, regulated pathways for cryptocurrency lending and borrowing services.

The announcement underscores the continuing convergence between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance, potentially boosting market confidence in long-term blockchain adoption across global financial systems.