Zebec Network is leveraging USDC as its primary stablecoin to facilitate global workforce payments for companies.
Key Features:
- Enables cross-border payouts both offchain and onchain
- Supports payroll processing and card spending
- Uses USDC as a settlement layer for transactions
Partnership Impact: Through the Circle Alliance Program, Zebec has:
- Connected with businesses across the crypto and Web3 ecosystem
- Expanded USDC's utility in real-world payment applications
- Demonstrated practical use cases for stablecoins in global commerce
The platform addresses the growing need for efficient international payment solutions, particularly for companies managing distributed teams across multiple countries.
With USDC as a primary stablecoin, @Zebec_HQ helps companies with global workforces send cross-border payouts offchain and onchain. Through the Circle Alliance Program, Zebec has connected with businesses across the crypto and Web3 ecosystem while continuing to expand how USDC
Standard Chartered Becomes First Major Bank to Offer Institutional USDC Access

Standard Chartered has partnered with Circle to launch institutional USDC minting and redemption services through the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). **Key Development:** - First globally systemically important bank (G-SIB) to provide regulated banking channel access to USDC - Service enables institutions to mint and redeem USDC directly through a traditional banking infrastructure - Operates through DIFC's regulatory framework **Significance:** This marks a notable step in bridging traditional banking with stablecoin infrastructure. The partnership builds on Standard Chartered's earlier recognition of USDC and EURC's potential to streamline global business payments. The move provides institutional clients with a regulated pathway to access dollar-backed stablecoins through established banking channels. [Read full announcement](<http://www.circle.com/pressroom/standard-chartered-and-circle-launch-launch-first-g-sib-led-integrated-access-to-usdc-minting-and-redemption>)
AI Agents Now Run Businesses, Pay Bills, and Keep Receipts

At the AI Agents Summit Berlin hackathon, 25 teams built autonomous agents using Circle Agent Stack that can hold wallets, manage budgets, and pay for services in USDC. **Top Projects:** - **Proprietor** (Winner): An agent-run business that earns revenue, pays suppliers, manages margins, and issues receipts鈥攄emonstrating how autonomous companies might operate. [GitHub](https://github.com/happyhackerbird/proprietor) - **BytomicProxy**: A pay-per-request proxy making APIs agent-payable through x402 payments. [GitHub](https://github.com/HackatonWinnners/bytomic-proxy.git) - **402Cards**: Enables agents to purchase physical items on mainnet through agent-readable workflows. [GitHub](https://github.com/armsves/402Cards) - **giftr**: A local gift marketplace where agents browse and buy gifts with USDC. [GitHub](https://github.com/faramirezs/gifter) - **SparkLead**: Delivers recurring competitor intelligence, paying per insight. [GitHub](https://github.com/iLVino/sparklead) The pattern emerging: agents are moving beyond generating answers to discovering services, coordinating with other agents, and handling payments autonomously. Circle's Agent Stack combines Agent Wallet with x402 payment protocol to enable this agentic economy.
Circle Expands Stablecoin Payout Infrastructure to France
Circle has launched stablecoin payout services through Circle Mint France, enabling European partners to send USDC and EURC payments via a single API integration. **Key capabilities:** - Third-party payouts to hosted wallets - Support for merchant settlements - Supplier and vendor payments - Platform disbursements - Cross-border B2B transactions - Creator and contractor payouts The expansion follows Circle's April launch in Singapore, continuing the company's buildout of global payment infrastructure for stablecoin-based money movement. [Read more](<http://www.circle.com/blog/stablecoin-payouts-now-available-through-circle-mint-france>)
Blockchains Meet AI: The Next Platform Layer for Internet Commerce
At VivaTech, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire outlined the evolution of blockchain technology from experimental systems to mature economic operating systems. These networks now handle value transfer, smart contracts, and decentralized governance at scale. **The Next Phase:** - Blockchains are converging with artificial intelligence - This intersection creates a new platform layer for economic activity online - The combination addresses critical needs as AI drives more commerce **Why It Matters:** Blockchains offer tamper-resistant code, auditable inputs/outputs, and provable machine state. As AI systems increasingly manage economic transactions, these assurances become essential for trust and verification. The shift represents a fundamental change in how value and contracts operate on the internet, moving beyond simple cryptocurrency transactions to comprehensive economic infrastructure.
Banks Risk Recreating Fragmentation Without Cross-Chain Interoperability
Circle argues that blockchain adoption only delivers value for banks when infrastructure connects across multiple chains, assets, and counterparty networks. **Key Points:** - Without interoperability, banks risk rebuilding the same fragmented systems blockchain was meant to solve - Chain and asset selection directly determines which markets banks can access - Multiple asset types鈥攕tablecoins, tokenized deposits, and tokenized funds鈥攚ill coexist - Connective infrastructure requires trust, reach, and neutrality - Interoperability should be evaluated alongside cost, security, and compliance The message is clear: going onchain without cross-chain connectivity limits market access and defeats the purpose of blockchain adoption. [Read more](http://www.circle.com/current/why-banks-need-interoperable-onchain-infrastructure)