See how Circle Payments Network connects financial institutions using stablecoins like USDC, unlocking powerful infrastructure for stablecoin payments.
In an increasingly interconnected world, the demand for seamless, real-time, and transparent cross-border payments has never been greater. Yet global commerce remains hindered by the friction, latency, and fragmentation of legacy financial infrastructure. Businesses and financial institutions alike continue to grapple with outdated systems that lack interoperability, carry high transaction costs, and offer limited transparency.
Stablecoins have long shown the potential to address these systemic inefficiencies, but thus far their use has been largely limited to digital asset markets due to technical and compliance challenges. In April, Circle introduced Circle Payments Network (CPN) to begin tackling these challenges head-on. CPN is a blockchain-native, compliance-first network designed to connect financial institutions globally using stablecoins like USDC and EURC and unlock this powerful infrastructure for mainstream payments use cases.
Read the CPN White Paper >
Become a CPN partner >
The Problem: Fragmented Legacy Infrastructure
Despite advances in consumer-facing financial technology, the underlying architecture powering most of today’s $190 trillion cross-border payments market remains deeply fragmented. Traditional correspondent banking networks and batch-based payment rails often involve multiple intermediaries, leading to delays in settlement, reconciliation challenges, high and unpredictable fees, and limited visibility into transaction status, risk exposure, and counterparty data.
These inefficiencies not only impede innovation but also create barriers for institutions seeking to operate across borders or serve emerging markets.
The Solution: Stablecoin Payments via Circle Payments Network (CPN)
CPN is purpose-built to solve these challenges by providing a programmable, secure, and interoperable onchain infrastructure for real-time settlement. It leverages the power of trusted payment stablecoins and public blockchains to connect financial institutions under a shared operational and governance framework.
Key features of CPN include:
- Stablecoin payment settlement in near-real time: Institutions can send and receive payments in USDC or EURC across blockchain networks with the option to settle in fiat dollars or local currencies.
- Compliance-first design: Only institutions that meet stringent KYC/AML, financial, and operational requirements can participate in CPN. By introducing a new clearing layer based on compliant, always on digital dollars, CPN lays the foundation for cross-border settlement at internet scale.
- Interoperability across blockchains: With support for multiple blockchains, CPN enables institutions to operate seamlessly across blockchains with native USDC.
- Greater capital efficiency: The shift toward near-instant settlement can greatly reduce the need for payments companies to pre-fund, which can free up significant amounts of trapped capital.
Why It Matters
By abstracting the complexity of blockchain-based payments and embedding compliance into the network's core, CPN offers institutions the ability to modernize their stablecoin payment operations without sacrificing regulatory or operational standards. It is a leap forward from traditional correspondent banking —offering speed, efficiency, and programmability at scale.
Whether facilitating supplier payments, disbursing remittances, managing corporate treasury, or building financial applications, institutions now have access to a network that reflects the pace and demands of modern commerce.
The Road Ahead
As we continue to build and expand the Circle Payments Network in collaboration with leading global financial institutions, our goal remains clear: to establish a foundation for a more open, efficient, and inclusive financial system. Through CPN, Circle is seeking to redefine what is possible with global stablecoin payments.
Stay tuned as we introduce additional CPN partners in the lead-up to mainnet launch on May 21, and get in touch with us if you would like to become a partner.
Circle Technology Services, LLC (CTS) is the operator of Circle Payments Network (CPN) and offers products and services to financial institutions that participate in CPN to facilitate their CPN access and integration. CPN connects participating financial institutions around the world, with CTS serving as the technology service provider to participating financial institutions. While CTS does not hold funds or manage accounts on behalf of customers, we enable the global ecosystem of participating financial institutions to connect directly with each other, communicate securely, and settle directly with each other. CTS is not a party to transactions between participating financial institutions facilitated by CPN who use CPN to execute transactions at their own risk. Use of CPN is subject to the CPN Rules and the CPN Participation Agreement between CTS and a participating financial institution.
