Mastercard has expanded its partnership with Circle to enable USDC and EURC settlement for acquirers in the EEMEA region.
This development allows the acquiring system in the region to settle transactions in stablecoins, strengthening Mastercard’s role in connecting blockchain-native crypto assets with traditional fiat commerce infrastructure. The Arab Financial Services and Eazy Financial Services will benefit from this expanded effort.
Improving digital settlement for merchants and acquirers
Merchants across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa can leverage USD-pegged stablecoins across Mastercard’s global payments network, taking advantage of its scale and reach.
The partnership builds upon Circle and Mastercard’s previous collaboration in the region on crypto card solutions such as Bybit and S1LKPAY, which use USDC to settle transactions. Mastercard’s mission is to integrate stablecoins into everyday financial activities by investing in the infrastructure, governance, and partnerships that support payment developments, including fiat, tokenised, and programmable money.
Offering USDC settlement across Mastercard’s network of acquirers in the region is Circle’s way of contributing to its vision for borderless, real-time commerce. The alliance will enable wider reach and global access so that USDC can become part of individuals' everyday lives, just like traditional payments.
Mastercard continues to push for stablecoin adoption globally and now enables end-to-end stablecoin payments, including ongoing, global work with Circle to give merchants the option to receive their payments in stablecoins. Alongside USDC, Mastercard is expanding its portfolio of regulated stablecoins from issuers around the world. This includes Paxos’ USDG, Fiserv’s FIUSD and PayPal’s PYUSD.
Additionally, Mastercard plans to drive regulated, real-world stablecoin use cases across remittances, B2B transactions, and payouts to gig workers and creators via such as Mastercard Move and the Multi-Token Network (MTN). Leveraging its infrastructure, including Crypto Credential and Crypto Secure, the company ensures stablecoin transactions meet industry standards of compliance and safety. As stablecoins gain traction and scale across the EEMEA region, Mastercard’s approach prioritises scalability, regulatory alignment, and utility.
