Visa and Bluechain Partner to Modernize UK B2B Payments with Streamlined Orchestration Technology

Visa has partnered with Bluechain to modernize UK B2B payments, allowing businesses to use Visa cards to pay any supplier, even those that historically haven't accepted card payments. Bluechain will handle billing, collections, and reconciliation, streamlining the payment process. The partnership targets industries with low card acceptance and long payment cycles, aiming to improve cash flow, visibility, and efficiency. This strategic move is expected to reshape the UK's B2B payments ecosystem and potentially inspire similar collaborations in other markets.

Visa has partnered with Bluechain to revolutionize business-to-business (B2B) payments in the United Kingdom. This strategic collaboration aims to digitize and streamline B2B payment processes, particularly in industries where card acceptance has historically been limited or nonexistent [1].

The partnership enables businesses to use Visa cards to pay any supplier, including those that do not currently accept cards. Bluechain will handle billing, collection, and reconciliation, significantly simplifying the payment process. This solution is designed to serve UK businesses in verticals like construction, freight, hospitality, and wholesale distribution, where card acceptance has been traditionally low and B2B spend has often been routed through slow, manual, or siloed systems [1].

“We’re building the infrastructure layer that business payments have been missing,” said Tim Annis, Bluechain Co-founder and CEO. “Visa shares our vision, not just digitizing payments, but making them frictionless, visible, and intelligent” [1].

Alessandro Figueroa, head of B2B partnerships at Visa Europe, added, “Businesses need smarter ways to manage payments, and data to make better decisions. Partnering with Bluechain brings those capabilities directly into workflows, helping businesses unlock new flexibility, visibility, and efficiency” [1].

This initiative comes at a time when digital payments are increasingly being adopted, yet many businesses still rely on outdated methods like paper checks. For instance, 75% of organizations use paper checks despite their high costs and inefficiencies [1]. In industries such as construction, where 76% of subcontractors receive payments through checks, this method has led to significant losses due to slow payments [1].

The Visa-Bluechain partnership is part of Visa’s broader strategy to capture a significant portion of the B2B transaction market, which includes cross-border payments, small and medium-sized business (SMB) transactions, virtual cards, and the buildout of non-card networks [2].

Separately, Wirex, a leading Web3 money app, has announced support for EURC settlements through Visa's stablecoin settlement pilot. This collaboration enables near real-time settlement using EURC, a fully backed stablecoin issued by Circle and pegged 1:1 to the euro. Wirex is now live with EURC settlement capabilities via the Visa Network, streamlining cross-border payments and enhancing the efficiency of its crypto-to-fiat conversion infrastructure [3].

The EURC settlement capability builds on Wirex and Visa’s long-standing partnership, which has processed over $20 billion in transactions. The collaboration reflects both companies' commitment to advancing the practical use of stablecoins in global payments and helping build a more inclusive, efficient financial system powered by digital assets [3].

These developments underscore the ongoing transformation of the payments landscape, driven by innovations in digital and blockchain technologies. The strategic partnerships and technological advancements are poised to reshape the UK's B2B payments ecosystem and potentially inspire similar collaborations in other markets.

References:
[1] https://www.pymnts.com/news/b2b-payments/2025/visa-and-bluechain-partner-on-card-based-b2b-payments-in-uk/
[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wirex-expands-web3-payments-europe-151300407.html
[3] https://www.openpr.com/news/4144510/photonpay-launches-card-on-discover-registered-network