Mastercard And Circle Expand Stablecoin Payments
Mastercard And Circle Expand Stablecoin Payments With USDC And EURC Across Eastern Europe, Middle East, And Africa
The global payments industry is witnessing a major milestone as Mastercard and Circle announce an expanded strategic partnership that enables payment institutions across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA) to settle transactions using USDC and EURC stablecoins. This marks an important step in integrating blockchain-based digital assets into traditional financial infrastructure.
Mastercard And Circle Bring Stablecoins Into Traditional Settlement Networks
Under the new agreement, Arab Financial Services (AFS) and Eazy Financial Services will be the first payment institutions in the region to adopt stablecoin settlements. This innovation allows institutions to:
- Settle transactions directly in USDC or EURC.
- Use stablecoins for merchant payments.
- Simplify cash flows while reducing friction in high-volume transactions.
Dimitrios Dosis, President of Mastercard EEMEA, highlighted the strategic importance of this move, stating that Mastercard is investing in infrastructure and partnerships to support the transition from fiat money to digital assets. He emphasized that trust, security, and compliance remain the foundation for scaling adoption.
Circle Drives Real-time Cross-Border Commerce
Kash Razzaghi, Chief Business Officer at Circle, described the expansion of USDC payments across Mastercard’s network as a turning point toward borderless, real-time commerce. He affirmed that this collaboration accelerates the adoption of stablecoins as a fundamental tool for global financial operations.
Regional payment leaders echoed this optimism:
- Samer Soliman, CEO of AFS, called the initiative “transformational,” equipping businesses with future-ready infrastructure.
- Nayef Al Alawi, CEO of Eazy Financial Services, said the partnership sets “a new benchmark for digital payments in the region.”
Mastercard Expands Real-World Stablecoin Applications
This announcement builds on Mastercard’s previous collaborations with Circle, including crypto card solutions with Bybit and S1LKPAY, as well as partnerships with Binance, Crypto.com, Gemini, Kraken, and Metamask. These integrations allow users to spend stablecoins via Mastercard’s traditional card network at more than 150 million merchants worldwide.
Mastercard is also pushing stablecoin use cases in remittances, B2B transactions, and creator economy payments through platforms like Mastercard Move and Multi-Token Network (MTN). These initiatives are reinforced by Crypto Credential and Crypto Secure, ensuring large-scale compliance and safety.
Conclusion
As stablecoins continue to gain momentum in emerging markets, Mastercard’s strategy in the EEMEA region reinforces its role as a pioneer in digital payment innovation, bridging traditional finance with the programmable money of the future.
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