Circle, Nomura Explore 2027 Stablecoin-Based Cross-Border Payment Service for Japanese Companies

Circle’s USDC dollar stablecoin can be transferred around the clock on blockchains. Using it for corporate foreign-exchange settlement could cut a clearing process that takes days for conventional cross-border payments to nearly instantaneous. After partnering with SBI Group to expand in Japan, Circle is now in talks with Nomura Securities as it targets the country’s roughly $440 billion-a-day foreign-exchange market.

Circle and Nomura plan to offer Japanese companies an instant settlement service for foreign-currency conversion and cross-border remittances using USDC as early as 2027, though the partnership remains at the exploratory stage. A Nomura subsidiary is also testing stablecoin-based settlement for securities transactions, indicating that the companies intend to extend the technology from corporate payments to capital-markets infrastructure.