Circle plans to expand USDC into roughly 40 emerging and developing markets, with Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East identified as regions where demand for stablecoins is increasing.
CEO and Chairman Jeremy Allaire described the strategy as part of blockchain’s shift from an early-adopter phase toward broader commercial scaling.
USDC accounts for about 25% of the stablecoin market, compared with roughly 60% for Tether’s USDT.
Circle is also expanding the payment infrastructure that could support the strategy. In September, it signed an agreement to acquire Singapore-based cross-border payments platform Tazapay for $400 million in an all-stock transaction expected to close in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals, including approval from Singapore’s Monetary Authority.
Tazapay brings more than 60 banking and fintech partners, local payout rails covering more than 100 markets and annualized payment volume above $25 billion. About 60% of its transaction volume already includes stablecoins.
Circle has also promoted USDC for machine-to-machine payments involving artificial-intelligence agents. Allaire said AI could increase stablecoin use but warned that it also creates security risks for financial infrastructure. The planned market expansion and Tazapay acquisition remain objectives in progress rather than completed rollouts.