Circle plans to enter about 40 emerging markets, CEO says

Key points

• Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire told Reuters the firm plans to enter about 40 emerging markets
• Regions named: Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East
• Plan is backed by a $400M Tazapay acquisition and a $100M Binance investment
• USDC holds about 25% of the stablecoin market; USDT has nearly 60%, per Reuters

Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, plans to enter about 40 emerging and developing markets, CEO and chairman Jeremy Allaire told Reuters on Friday, October 16, 2026. He spoke on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Bangkok, according to the Reuters report.

Allaire pointed to rising demand for stablecoins in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. He described the technology as moving from early adoption toward mainstream scale, Reuters reported.

What Circle has said about the expansion

Reuters said the plan is backed by Circle’s $400 million acquisition of Singapore-based payments firm Tazapay and a $100 million strategic investment from Binance. CoinDesk reported that the Tazapay deal gives Circle access to banking and payment networks in more than 100 markets.

The reports did not include a country-by-country list or a rollout schedule in the portions reviewed. Which markets Circle will enter first, and when, has not been laid out.

Where USDC stands in the stablecoin market

According to Reuters, Circle holds about 25% of the global stablecoin market, while Tether’s USDT holds nearly 60%. USDC in circulation rose 19% from a year earlier to $73.3 billion in the second quarter, the report said.

Reuters also noted that Circle’s Arc platform has been adopted by BlackRock, Visa and Standard Chartered, and that use of USDC has increased among AI agents making small machine-to-machine payments. CoinDesk similarly reported Allaire’s comments on AI agents paying for information and online services.

Regulation and competition

Reuters said the U.S. GENIUS Act, the federal stablecoin law, is set to take effect next January, and that Circle became one of the first stablecoin issuers to hold a federal bank charter in July. Allaire credited clearer rules with encouraging adoption, CoinDesk reported.

He also said bank-led stablecoin efforts in the United States and Europe point to a healthy market, according to Reuters. He warned that AI-driven threats to financial infrastructure providers are rising.

• Target: about 40 emerging and developing markets
• Regions named: Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East
• Backing: $400 million Tazapay deal and $100 million Binance investment

Circle’s earlier results for the first half of the year are covered separately. This expansion plan is the company’s latest stated push beyond developed markets, where USDC has been most widely used.