Mastercard is enhancing its stablecoin capabilities by strengthening its partnership with Circle, enabling merchants and acquiring banks across the Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA) region to settle transactions in stablecoins for the first time.
According to the announcement, Mastercard now supports transaction settlement in USDC and EURC, fully reserved stablecoins issued by regulated Circle affiliates, across its global payments network in the EEMEA region. This development marks a notable step into digital asset integration for mainstream payments infrastructure.
Two regional financial institutions—Arab Financial Services and Eazy Financial Services—are the inaugural acquirers to benefit from this expanded settlement option. This move builds upon past collaborations between Mastercard and Circle, such as USDC-powered crypto card solutions with Bybit and S1LKPAY.
“This strategic move reinforces our goal to bring stablecoins into the financial mainstream. By investing in infrastructure, governance, and partnerships, we are supporting the evolution from fiat to programmable money,” stated Dimitrios Dosis, President of EEMEA at Mastercard.
Circle’s Chief Business Officer, Kash Razzaghi, added: “This expansion brings us closer to realizing borderless, real-time commerce. Together with Mastercard, we’re increasing USDC’s reach and impact, so it can serve as a daily payment tool.”
From the perspective of operational efficiency, Arab Financial Services emphasized that the solution addresses liquidity challenges and reduces friction in high-volume settlements. Eazy Financial Services commented that their clients would enjoy faster, more secure, and efficient payment experiences, signaling a new standard in digital settlement.
Beyond regional reach, Mastercard’s move aligns with global stablecoin adoption trends. Alongside USDC and EURC, Mastercard supports other regulated stablecoins like Paxos’ USDG, Fiserv’s FIUSD, and PayPal’s PYUSD. Their Multi-Token Network, Crypto Credential, and Crypto Secure frameworks ensure these digital payments are compliant, secure, and scalable.
This innovation arrives as stablecoins gain traction for remittances, B2B payments, and gigs, areas where transaction speed and reliability are essential. Mastercard is positioning itself as the trusted bridge between blockchain-native assets and traditional commerce, helping bring digital currencies into everyday use.
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