Circle has announced two new partnerships aimed at bringing stablecoin settlement further into mainstream finance. The deals, with Mastercard and Finastra, are designed to widen the use of USD Coin (USDC) and Euro Coin (EURC) across merchants and banks worldwide.
On Wednesday, Mastercard revealed that it will enable acquirers and merchants in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA) to settle payments in USDC and EURC. Arab Financial Services and Eazy Financial Services will be the first to roll out the service, making it the region’s first stablecoin settlement offering through Mastercard.
Meanwhile, London-based financial software firm Finastra said it is integrating USDC into its Global PAYplus platform, which handles over $5 trillion in cross-border transactions daily. With this update, banks in 50 countries will be able to settle international payments in USDC, even when the transaction instructions are still denominated in traditional fiat currencies.
Your completely free resource hub designed to boost your knowledge of cryptocurrencies
Circle Expands Partnerships After GENIUS Act
Since the passage of the GENIUS Act in July, which established the first federal regulatory framework for stablecoins in the U.S. Circle has been steadily expanding partnerships to grow adoption of its USD Coin (USDC).
On July 31, the company revealed a tie-up with OKX, one of the world’s leading crypto exchanges with a broad footprint across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The agreement introduced zero-fee conversions between USDC and U.S. dollars, a move aimed at boosting global liquidity and making the stablecoin more appealing to traders in major international markets.
Circle has also teamed up with Japan’s SBI Group, Ripple, and Startale in a joint venture aimed at driving USDC adoption in the country. The collaboration focuses on building a tokenized asset trading platform for real-world assets, positioning USDC as a key settlement tool in Japan’s growing digital finance ecosystem.
