Circle and Sasai Explore USDC Applications Across Africa

JCB is Japan’s largest credit card network, with about 40 million merchants worldwide, while Circle issues the U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin USDC. Since Japan amended its Payment Services Act in 2023 to establish a legal framework for stablecoins, regulators and businesses have continued working to integrate the tokens into everyday commerce. A partnership between a traditional card network and a stablecoin issuer could bring stablecoin payments directly to mainstream merchants and consumers through existing acquiring and settlement infrastructure, making the initiative an important indicator of changes in Japan’s payments landscape.

JCB and Circle signed a memorandum of understanding in July 2026 to test USDC payments in Japan. The first phase will use internal JCB fund transfers for a proof of concept. If the technology proves viable, the partners plan to expand it gradually to cross-border payments and merchant transactions, aiming to improve payment efficiency and reduce foreign-exchange costs for international visitors. If fully implemented, the project could give USDC access to about 40 million merchants through JCB’s network, making it one of Japan’s largest stablecoin commercialization efforts.

OSL Group is a Hong Kong-based digital asset platform, while Circle issues the U.S. dollar stablecoin USDC. The partnership will integrate USDC into OSL's trading and payments ecosystem, offering 1:1 conversion between U.S. dollars and USDC. It will also support professional trading and use as contract margin, strengthening digital-dollar liquidity in Hong Kong and global markets.

OSL Group recently announced a strategic partnership with Circle aimed at expanding global channels for USDC payments, conversions and trading through its platforms. Available information does not disclose a formal signing date, the value of the partnership or a phased rollout schedule. Confirmed elements include 1:1 U.S. dollar conversion and the introduction of USDC for professional trading and contract margin.

AI agents can independently search, negotiate and place orders, but conventional credit cards still rely on cardholder authorization and closed networks. Circle, Stripe and PayPal are therefore promoting instant stablecoin settlement, using its programmability, round-the-clock availability and cross-border reach to build payment infrastructure for “agentic commerce” that bypasses card networks.

As of July 19, 2026, Circle, Stripe and PayPal had all made moves into stablecoin payments for AI agents, but the companies had not disclosed actual transaction values and the market remained small. Transaction volumes are expected to grow over the next several years, though mass commercial adoption remains constrained by regulation, identity verification and interoperability among different agents, wallets and blockchains.

Circle-issued USDC is a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin, while Circle Mint allows businesses to mint, redeem and manage USDC. Transfers between multinational corporate entities typically rely on bank wires, which are constrained by business hours and cutoff times and take one to three days to settle. The trial therefore highlights blockchain’s potential to reduce the time that funds remain in transit.

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire said on March 7, 2026, that the company had completed 11 USDC transfers among eight internal entities through Circle Mint in the first month, totaling more than $68 million. All were completed within 30 minutes, while about 90% of transfer-pricing work could be completed within one day. The related multi-entity treasury-management features were expected to be updated later that month.