PayLens /News
Partnership
Mastercard and Circle enable USDC/EURC settlement for acquirers in EEMEA
EU
What happened
In August 2025 Mastercard expanded its partnership with Circle to let acquiring institutions settle transactions in USDC and EURC, starting in the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) region — described as the first time the acquiring ecosystem in EEMEA could settle in stablecoins. It builds on Mastercard's broader 2025 stablecoin work with Circle, Paxos, Fiserv and PayPal across its network.
Why it matters
Network-level stablecoin settlement for acquirers/merchants signals card schemes embedding stablecoins into their settlement layer rather than treating them as external crypto — relevant to faster cross-border settlement and the future role of USDC/EURC in European acquiring.
What to watch
Extension of stablecoin settlement to European acquirers, EURC adoption under MiCA, integration via Fiserv/PayPal, and whether merchants see faster or cheaper settlement.
Sources
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