Circle, the company behind the widely used stablecoin USDC, has launched the Circle Payments Network (CPN) — a major step toward revolutionizing the cross-border payments industry. Leveraging the power of stablecoins like USDC and EURC, CPN is designed to reduce transaction costs, enable near-instant settlements, and bring financial services to underserved markets globally.
A New Infrastructure for Global Payments
Announced in April 2025, CPN is set to challenge traditional systems such as SWIFT, which can take more than a business day to settle transactions and often charge fees exceeding 6%. These inefficiencies hit emerging markets the hardest, where high costs and slow settlements limit access and competitiveness.
Circle's new platform utilizes blockchain technology and fiat-pegged stablecoins to enable real-time, 24/7 settlements. With this approach, CPN aligns with Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire’s vision of making money movement "as simple as sending an email."
Built for Financial Institutions
CPN is purpose-built to connect a range of financial entities, including banks, fintechs, digital wallets, and payment service providers. It supports a wide range of use cases, such as:
International remittances
Invoice and contractor payments
Treasury management
Cross-border payroll solutions
By eliminating intermediaries and enabling instant settlements, CPN addresses a key pain point in today’s fragmented global payment infrastructure.
Strategic Backing and Partnerships
CPN's design and rollout are backed by a powerful advisory group that includes Deutsche Bank, Santander, Standard Chartered, and Societe Generale. In addition, Circle has partnered with 20 design partners — such as Flutterwave, Coins.ph, WorldRemit, and Yellow Card — to test and refine the platform for broad-scale use.
These partnerships are vital to scaling CPN globally and ensuring compliance with evolving financial regulations.
Stablecoin Efficiency & Market Impact
Stablecoins like USDC — which has seen over $26 trillion in transaction volume since 2018 and 78% year-over-year growth from January 2024 to January 2025 — are central to CPN’s effectiveness. Their fiat peg ensures value stability, while blockchain integration enables seamless, real-time transactions.
The potential impact of CPN is vast. The global cross-border payments market, valued at $156 trillion, is ripe for disruption. By lowering barriers and improving accessibility, CPN could significantly improve financial inclusion, especially in developing regions.
Regulatory Momentum & Future Outlook
Recent regulatory clarity through the STABLE Act boosts Circle’s ability to scale stablecoin offerings, strengthening the foundation for CPN’s success. However, the long-term impact will depend on user adoption, regulatory evolution, and how well Circle navigates competition from incumbents and blockchain-native players like Ripple.
A pilot phase is currently underway, with a limited public release scheduled for May 2025. If widely adopted, CPN could become the standard for secure, fast, and low-cost global money movement.
