Circle Payments Network Connects Financial Institutions to Enable Faster, Lower-Cost, and More Transparent Cross-Border Payments Using USDC, EURC, and Other Regulated Payment Stablecoins

Circle Internet Group, Inc., a global financial technology company and stablecoin market leader, today announced Circle Payments Network (CPN) to connect financial institutions – banks, neo-banks, payment service providers

Circle Internet Group, Inc. today announced Circle Payments Network (CPN), a massively scalable and interconnected network designed to enable faster, lower-cost, and more transparent cross-border payments.

Circle Internet Group, Inc. today announced Circle Payments Network (CPN), a massively scalable and interconnected network designed to enable faster, lower-cost, and more transparent cross-border payments.

Announced during an event in New York, CPN will connect financial institutions – banks, neo-banks, payment service providers, virtual asset service providers and digital wallets – and enable real-time settlement of cross-border payments using regulated stablecoins. CPN marks the next chapter in Circle’s evolution, extending beyond trusted stablecoins and developer platforms to power a globally connected payments network.

Despite improvements, cross-border payments can still take longer than one business day to settle and cost more than 6%, according to the World Bank, disproportionately impacting emerging markets and limiting their global competitiveness. These inefficiencies stem from multiple intermediaries, compliance checks, local market cut-off times, and fragmented operating hours across jurisdictions.

Designed to bring efficiencies to a fragmented cross-border payments system, CPN provides financial institutions with a modern way to move money globally with the speed, transparency, and programmability of the internet. CPN is governed by a robust framework that requires participants to meet strict eligibility standards, including licensing, AML/CFT compliance, financial risk management, and cybersecurity protocols. By leveraging USDC, EURC, and other regulated stablecoins, CPN enables seamless connectivity to domestic real-time payment systems, such as FedNow in the U.S. and Faster Payments in the U.K., while upholding the compliance, security, and trust required for financial institutions to meet their regulatory obligations.

CPN will enable a broad spectrum of cross-border money movement use cases for businesses, financial institutions, and individuals — including supplier payments, remittances, payroll, capital markets settlement, internal treasury operations, and onchain financial applications. Powered by smart contract infrastructure and modular APIs, the network enables third-party developers to build advanced modules, app services, and automated financial workflows directly on top of CPN. More details about CPN are available in the CPN white paper.

“We are proud to announce Circle Payments Network, a groundbreaking initiative that will transform the global payments landscape,” said Jeremy Allaire, CEO and co-founder of Circle. “In collaboration with leading banks and financial institutions, we have designed a network capable of handling the volume and velocity of payments in today’s interconnected economy.”

To ensure CPN is built with high standards of trust and operational integrity, Banco Santander, Deutsche Bank, Société Générale, and Standard Chartered Bank are contributing their deep expertise in global payments to assist Circle in designing a network that meets the needs of leading banks and financial institutions worldwide.

“As a leading bank in the U.S., we are excited to be working with Circle to help build and launch Circle Payments Network,” said Ben Balthazor, head of digital assets at Deutsche Bank. “We believe that this network has the potential to revolutionize the way financial institutions make cross-border payments.”

“Banco Santander is committed to innovation in financial services and we are pleased to be supporting the development of Circle Payments Network,” said Miguel Matos, global head of treasury clients at Banco Santander. “This network will provide financial institutions with a faster, lower-cost, and more transparent way to make cross-border payments.”

In collaboration with global design partners, CPN will unify disparate payment networks and local currencies, enabling 24/7 real-time settlement using stablecoins. Design partners include Alfred Pay, BCB Group, BVNK, CoinMENA, Coins.ph, Conduit, dLocal, dtcpay, Flutterwave, FOMO Pay, HIFI, Inswitch, Legend Trading, Nilos, Noah, Nuvei, Onafriq, OpenPayd, RD Technologies, RedotPay, TazaPay, Transfero Group, Triple-A, Trubit, Unlimit, Yellow Card, Zepz, and Zodia Markets.

Additionally, digital asset infrastructure platforms like Fireblocks are working to connect their networks of institutional customers to expand access to efficient, secure cross-border payments. This convergence lays the foundation for a more connected, programmable financial system.

Circle Payments Network is a new technology service and is expected to be released in a limited capacity in May. Duly licensed financial institutions interested in becoming network participants can learn more and sign up here: https://www.circle.com.

About Circle Internet Group, Inc.

Circle is a global financial technology company that enables businesses of all sizes to harness the power of digital currencies and public blockchains for payments, commerce, and financial applications worldwide. Circle is building the world’s largest, most-widely used, stablecoin network, and issues, through its regulated affiliates, USDC and EURC stablecoins, which are designed to maintain a stable value and facilitate efficient transactions.

Circle provides a comprehensive suite of financial and technology services that empower enterprises and developers to integrate stablecoins and blockchains into their products, services and business operations. These services include fiat currency