US-based payments technology provider ACI Worldwide and US-based Circle Internet Group, which issues the USDC stablecoin through its regulated entities, are working together to show how stablecoin settlement can be incorporated into established banking and payment systems. The initiative combines ACI Connetic, ACI Worldwide’s cloud-native payments orchestration platform, with Circle’s USDC infrastructure. The aim is to show financial institutions how stablecoin settlement can operate within their current payment operations rather than through separate systems.
Building on Colombia’s Bre-B instant payments ecosystem
The implementation will first focus on Colombia, where ACI Worldwide built the central infrastructure powering Bre-B, the country’s interoperable instant payments ecosystem. Bre-B provides the foundation for real-time, A2A payments across Colombia. The new initiative explores how stablecoins such as USDC could complement this infrastructure and support a more connected, multi-rail payments environment.
The choice of market also links the pilot to the infrastructure ACI Worldwide already operates. Institutions in Colombia can therefore assess digital dollar settlement against a domestic real-time payments system that is already in place.
From technology to implementation
According to the companies, the focus is shifting from the underlying technology to practical implementation as financial institutions increasingly evaluate stablecoins for payments and settlement. Institutions need to understand how digital dollars can work alongside existing payment rails, treasury operations, governance frameworks, and settlement processes.
The collaboration addresses this by orchestrating stablecoin settlement alongside traditional payment rails through a single platform. This allows institutions to test new settlement models within operating environments they already use.
Craig Ramsey, global head of A2A payments at ACI Worldwide, said the discussion around stablecoins is moving from possibility to practicality. The official added that institutions want to know how digital asset settlement can fit into the infrastructure and operating models they already rely on. In addition, Kash Razzaghi, chief commercial officer at Circle, said financial institutions across Latin America are increasingly looking at how stablecoins can support payments and settlement within their current infrastructure. The official described the collaboration as a way for institutions to explore how USDC can fit into established payment environments.
Platform scope and ecosystem implications
ACI Connetic brings traditional payment types, digital assets, and card payments together on one cloud-native platform, with the stated goal of simplifying the adoption of new payment capabilities. Although the Colombian initiative uses USDC and Circle’s infrastructure, ACI Worldwide noted that ACI Connetic supports a wider ecosystem of payment networks, digital asset providers, and future settlement models through a single orchestration layer.
For financial institutions, the initiative positions stablecoin settlement as an additional rail within existing orchestration, not a replacement for current systems. In addition, its stated purpose is evaluation. It is designed to help institutions assess how stablecoin settlement could function alongside existing payment infrastructure, with Latin America as the initial regional focus.
