Overall, the initiative signals a shift away from traditional cross-border payments toward blockchain rails and stablecoins, featuring a prepaid stablecoin card designed to preserve recipients’ purchasing power in inflationary economies.

The company plans to issue its own cryptocurrency, leveraging its global distribution footprint in emerging markets to drive adoption with remittances as a core use case.

It also plans to issue a digital currency across its network of more than 200 countries to accelerate adoption in emerging markets.

The project could enhance market liquidity and create new channels for converting digital assets to cash across Western Union’s 400,000 outlets, expanding liquidity in stressed markets.

The system is aimed to launch in the first half of 2026 to reduce reliance on correspondent banking, shorten settlement times, lower costs, and improve reliability.

Western Union introduced the Digital Asset Network (DAN), connecting to four on-ramp/off-ramp providers with a live launch expected in the first half of 2025 to support its crypto ecosystem.

A Digital Asset Network (DAN) is being built to link Western Union with multiple on-ramp/off-ramp providers, targeting a launch in early to mid-2025, with the stablecoin rollout anticipated by mid-2026.

The company filed a trademark for “WUUSD,” signaling plans for a broader crypto services suite including a wallet, trading features, and stablecoin payment processing.

Western Union unveiled a plan to launch a stablecoin-powered card to protect remittances in high-inflation markets, announced at the UBS Global Technology and AI Conference as part of a broader digital asset roadmap.

The stablecoin settlement system will run on the Solana blockchain, centered on the US Dollar Payment Token (USDPT), developed with Anchorage Digital Bank, with USDPT slated to launch in early 2026 and distributed through partner exchanges.

CFO Matthew Cagwin noted that inflation-stricken countries like Argentina can see remittance values shrink quickly, and the stablecoin card would store value in a dollar-denominated balance to counter depreciation.

The announcements are framed as strategic and long-term, with acknowledged regulatory and market risks.

Cagwin disclosed these plans during the UBS conference as part of an investor-day reveal about moving toward a multi-pillar digital asset roadmap.

The moves fit into a broader industry shift toward digital assets to combat inflation, using blockchain to bolster cross-border payments and financial inclusion.

Anchorage Digital Bank will issue and hold the stablecoin, ensuring regulated storage and enabling regulatory compliance for large institutions adopting the product.