Mastercard has expanded its collaboration with Circle to introduce stablecoin settlement for acquirers across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa , using Circle’s USDC and EURC. In a statement on Wednesday, Mastercard said the initiative marks the first time the acquiring ecosystem in the region will be able to settle transactions in stablecoins.
The move is designed to connect blockchain-native assets with the region’s traditional fiat-based payment infrastructure. Arab Financial Services and Eazy Financial Services will be the first to adopt the capability.Dimitrios Dosis, President for EEMEA at Mastercard, described the development as a landmark step in the company’s strategy to bring stablecoins into the financial mainstream.“Our goal is to advance stablecoin adoption by investing in the infrastructure, governance, and partnerships required to support the evolution of payments from fiat to tokenised, programmable money.
Through our partnership with Circle, we are applying decades of expertise in security and compliance to the stablecoin ecosystem,” he said.Circle’s Chief Business Officer, Kash Razzaghi, said the collaboration positions stablecoins as a transformative tool for global payments.“Expanding USDC settlement across Mastercard’s network of acquirers in EEMEA is a critical step toward real-time, borderless commerce. Together, we are driving the adoption of stablecoins to become as widely accepted as traditional payments,” he noted.
According to AFS Chief Executive Officer Samer Soliman, the introduction of USDC settlement will help financial institutions adapt to rapid market changes.“As the first acquirer in the region to implement USDC settlement, we are building future-ready infrastructure that delivers greater liquidity and operational efficiency while reducing friction in high-volume transactions. With Mastercard and Circle, we can empower clients to embrace digital assets securely and in line with regulatory standards,” Soliman said.
-
✴︎
