Mastercard and Circle have teamed up to bring USDC and EURC stablecoin settlements to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA), the companies announced on August 26, 2025.
For the first time, merchants and acquirers in the region can complete payments directly using stablecoins, making transactions faster, cheaper, and more secure.
According to the release, Arab Financial Services and Eazy Financial Services will be the first to use this new system, which allows them to settle payments in USDC or EURC before sending funds to merchants.
“This is a key move for Mastercard. Our goal is to integrate stablecoins into the financial mainstream by investing in infrastructure, governance, and partnerships,” said Dimitrios Dosis, Mastercard’s regional president.
He emphasized that the effort applies Mastercard’s experience in security and compliance to the stablecoin space. Circle’s Chief Business Officer Kash Razzaghi added that the expansion will create “truly borderless, real-time commerce” and allow USDC to reach more markets worldwide.
Arab Financial Services CEO Samer Soliman said the solution meets market needs for “greater liquidity and operational efficiency,” while Eazy Financial Services CEO Nayef Al Alawi called it a milestone for faster and safer payments.
The partnership builds on existing collaborations between Mastercard and Circle, including crypto card solutions with Bybit and S1LKPAY, which already use USDC for settlements.
Notably, Mastercard is also finding more ways to use stablecoins beyond merchant payments. They are exploring remittances, B2B payment, and giving gig workers and creators easier ways to get paid through the Multi-Token Network. Along with USDC, Mastercard works with other stablecoins like Paxos’ USDG, Fiserv’s FIUSD, and PayPal’s PYUSD.
That said, with both companies stressing how important security, regulatory compliance, and transparency are, using Mastercard’s payment network with Circle’s stablecoins makes it easier for people and businesses to pay and get paid digitally. This helps everyday payments become faster, simpler, and more reliable for everyone.
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