Circle Internet Group, a global financial technology company and stablecoin market leader, announced Circle Payments Network (CPN) to 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. Delays are driven by 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 worldwide, 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.

“Since our founding, Circle’s vision has been to make moving money as simple and efficient as sending an email,” said Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Circle. “CPN is a significant step in making that vision a reality for businesses worldwide.”

A Global Network of Trusted Advisors

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.

“Standard Chartered is continuously looking for opportunities to make cross-border payments more efficient, secure, and compliant to various regulatory requirements, globally,” said Michael Spiegel, Global Head of Transaction Banking at Standard Chartered Bank. “Circle’s compliance-first approach to building products like CPN is a game changer for how money moves across borders, and we are pleased to build on our partnership and offer them our global expertise to support the success of CPN.”

CPN is Taking Shape with Worldwide Financial Institutions 

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 foundational layer for the always-on economy — enabling trusted institutions to move value across borders, instantly,” said Nikhil Chandhok, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Circle. “With programmable infrastructure at its core, CPN makes it possible to embed value transfer into modern financial applications in ways that weren’t feasible before.”

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/cpn

Source: Circle