Circle

Mastercard will let banks and merchants in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa settle payments using Circle’s USDC and EURC stablecoins. The move aims to speed up cross-border transfers and cut costs for trade and remittances in the region.

Circle has acquired the Malachite consensus engine from Informal Systems to power its new Arc blockchain for stablecoin payments. The move aims to speed up transactions, keep Malachite open-source, and support developers building financial applications on Web3.

South Korea plans to submit a stablecoin regulation bill in October to allow banks and tech firms to issue and manage won-pegged stablecoins. Major banks are preparing for adoption and may partner with USDC issuer Circle to enable domestic and international crypto payments.

Japan is set to approve its first yen-backed stablecoin this autumn, led by fintech firm JPYC. The token will be tied one-to-one with the yen and supported by bank deposits and government bonds.

Polymarket is thinking about launching its own stablecoin or cutting a deal with Circle to earn interest from the funds users keep on the platform. This would give Polymarket more control over its money system as it grows and prepares to reenter the US market.

Ant Group plans to add USDC, a dollar-backed stablecoin from Circle, to its blockchain platform for international payments. The move depends on US regulatory approval and could make Ant a major user of regulated digital currencies outside China.

Ripple has applied for a US national bank charter and a Federal Reserve account to support its stablecoin RLUSD. The move comes as new laws push stablecoin issuers to meet tougher rules, with Ripple aiming to boost trust and compete with USDC and USDT.

Circle has applied for a national trust bank licence in the US to launch a fully regulated digital currency bank that will manage USDC reserves and offer asset custody to institutions. This move follows its $18 billion IPO and shows its shift toward stricter compliance and deeper ties with traditional finance.

Circle raised $1.1 billion in its IPO after pricing shares at $31 due to strong investor demand. The listing puts the stablecoin firm on the New York Stock Exchange, with major backing from BlackRock and ARK.

Circle has denied rumours it is being sold to Ripple or Coinbase, saying it is not for sale. The company is continuing with its IPO plans and wants to grow on its own.