Circle and Immersve Partner to Enable USDC Payments at Mastercard Merchants

Institutional adoption of stablecoins for payments has increased 70% since the GENIUS Act established federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins in the U.S. **Key developments:** - Real-time cross-border settlement now operational - Programmable treasury and cash management capabilities deployed - Global liquidity accessible without traditional banking infrastructure The legislation provided regulatory clarity that enabled institutions to integrate digital dollars into operational workflows. USDC is among the stablecoins facilitating these payment rails.

Circle's Sunil Sharma presented the company's vision for global finance at the New York Fed's 2025 FX Market Structure Conference. **Key Points:** - Circle is building infrastructure for an **open, programmable global financial system** - Focus on moving money and settlement onto internet-native rails - USDC positioned as foundational technology for this transition - Emphasis on **automated trust mechanisms** to reduce counterparty risk Sharma's remarks signal institutional recognition of stablecoin infrastructure, with Circle making its case directly to traditional finance stakeholders at a Federal Reserve event.

**EURC is emerging as a preferred euro-denominated stablecoin** as Europe's MiCA regulations take effect. The compliant digital asset is being used for onchain payments and treasury operations. - EURC enables users to move, hold, and settle euros on blockchain networks - Demand for MiCA-compliant euro stablecoins has increased significantly - The asset is integrating traditional euro liquidity into decentralized finance infrastructure This follows earlier reports showing euro stablecoins doubling in market cap after MiCA implementation, with EURS and EURC leading adoption. The regulatory framework appears to be creating clarity that supports institutional and retail use of euro-backed digital assets.

**VelaFi has integrated with Circle Payments Network (CPN)**, enabling real-time settlement using USDC and EURC stablecoins across global corridors. **Key capabilities unlocked:** - Enterprise payments - Treasury management and liquidity operations - Multi-currency settlement VelaFi operates across Asia, the US, and Latin America, connecting customers to compliance-driven settlement through a single CPN integration. This follows recent CPN expansion by Saber into EU and India payment corridors. CPN launched in April 2025 as Circle's infrastructure for 24/7 stablecoin-powered cross-border payments.

Circle has launched its **crosschain forwarding service** for CCTP (Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol) on mainnet. The fully managed service automates destination-chain execution for crosschain transactions. **Key features:** - Reduces end-to-end transfer speed - Lowers operational costs and third-party risk - Improves developer and user experience **Supported networks include:** Arbitrum, Avalanche, Base, Ethereum, HyperEVM, Ink, Linea, Monad, Optimism, Polygon, Sei, Sonic, Unichain, and World Chain, with more expected. Circle plans to expand the forwarding service to Circle Gateway, Bridge Kit, and more flexible forwarding capabilities in coming months. The service previously launched on testnet in late January. Developers can start building: [developers.circle.com/cctp/concepts/forwarding-service](http://developers.circle.com/cctp/concepts/forwarding-service)