Circle

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)

Circle has launched **USDCx on Aleo** through its xReserve platform, introducing privacy-preserving stablecoin functionality to the blockchain. **What is USDCx?** - A USDC-backed stablecoin designed for Aleo's privacy-focused infrastructure - Maintains 1:1 backing with USDC held in Circle's xReserve - Enables confidential transactions and multi-party workflows **Key Features:** - Full interoperability with USDC across supported chains - No third-party bridges required, reducing trust assumptions - Privacy-preserving payment capabilities for businesses and users This follows Circle's December 2025 launch of USDCx on Canton Network, expanding the xReserve ecosystem to privacy-centric blockchains. [Learn more about USDCx on Aleo](http://aleo.org/usdcx)

Circle has introduced **StableFX**, an institutional-grade platform that moves foreign exchange operations onchain. The service addresses traditional FX market constraints including prefunding requirements, strict cut-off times, and fragmented trading venues. **Key features:** - Request-for-quote (RFQ) execution familiar to institutional traders - Always-on settlement using stablecoins - Eliminates traditional banking hours limitations The platform is currently available on Arc Testnet. Circle positions this as bringing internet-era speed and flexibility to the world's largest financial market, which has historically lagged in modernization. More details: [StableFX litepaper](http://circle.com/stablefx-litepaper)

Circle has launched **USDCx on Canton Network** through its new xReserve infrastructure, bringing USDC-backed stablecoins to the privacy-focused blockchain. **Key Features:** - 1:1 backing by USDC held in Circle's xReserve smart contract - Seamless atomic settlement of tokenized assets - Privacy-preserving payment capabilities - Cross-chain interoperability without third-party bridges **What This Means:** Businesses can now access unified USDC liquidity across supported chains while maintaining privacy. The trust-minimized approach reduces bridge risks through Circle's attestation system. Canton joins Stacks as early xReserve partners, expanding Circle's interoperability infrastructure beyond traditional bridging solutions. [Read more details](http://www.circle.com/blog/usdcx-on-canton-now-available-via-circle-xreserve)

Circle officially launched its **Circle Foundation** at Nasdaq Tower, funded through the company's Pledge 1% equity commitment. The foundation focuses on **financial resilience and inclusion** with three key areas: - Strengthening financial systems for US small businesses - Modernizing global humanitarian aid infrastructure - Building durable economic participation infrastructure Circle highlights how **digital dollars** have already improved relief efforts by making aid faster, safer, and more transparent for displaced families and frontline workers. The initiative represents Circle's commitment to scaling financial access globally, supporting both domestic small businesses and international humanitarian efforts through blockchain-based solutions.

**Circle announces collaboration with OpenMind** to develop foundational standards for machine-to-machine payments using USDC. The partnership aims to: - Create USDC-powered micropayment protocols - Build infrastructure for autonomous AI transactions - Enable seamless payments between humans and AI agents **Key technical details:** - Integration with x402 open payment protocol - Participation in Google's A2A (Agent2Agent) initiative - Contributions to AP2 (Agent Payments Protocol) Circle positions USDC as ideal for AI payments due to its programmability, interoperability, and near-instant usability across the internet. The companies have published their [agentic payments proposal](http://github.com/coinbase/x402/issues/447) on GitHub, inviting developers and researchers to review and contribute to the open-source initiative. This builds on Circle's October announcement about exploring crypto-AI intersections and their belief that AI will transform software interactions, including payments.