Circle Advances UAE Expansion With ADGM License and Appoints Managing Director for Circle MEA

ABU DHABI — December 9, 2025 — Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE: CRCL), one of the world’s leading internet financial platform companies, today announced a major regulatory milestone in the United Arab Emirates as it strengthens its strategic presence in the region. Circle has secured a Financial Services Permission (FSP) license from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of ADGM, the International Financial Centre (IFC) of Abu Dhabi, to operate as a Money Services Provider in the IFC.

Alongside this regulatory achievement, Circle has appointed Dr. Saeeda Jaffar as Managing Director for Circle Middle East & Africa (MEA). Dr. Jaffar, who will join from Visa, where she serves as Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), will lead Circle’s regional strategy, deepen partnerships with financial institutions and enterprises, and accelerate the adoption of trusted digital dollars and onchain payment solutions across the UAE and broader MEA markets.

“Regulatory clarity is the foundation of a more open and efficient internet financial system. We are honored to work with the FSRA in ADGM. Their framework sets a high bar for transparency, risk management, and consumer protection—standards that enable trusted stablecoins to power real-world payments and finance at internet scale. I’m also delighted to welcome Dr. Saeeda Jaffar to Circle. Her deep regional expertise, strategic vision and reputation for building high-performing partnerships will be invaluable as we expand our presence in the UAE and MEA.” said Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Circle.

“Circle’s regulatory-first approach aligns with ADGM’s commitment to responsible innovation. With clear rules for fiat-referenced tokens, the UAE is enabling the safe, scalable adoption of digital assets across the financial system. Circle’s regulated presence in ADGM reinforces our ambition to build a trusted, institutional-grade digital asset ecosystem in Abu Dhabi, one that enhances market confidence, supports real-world use cases, and cements the UAE’s role as a leading hub for regulated digital finance.” said Arvind Ramamurthy, Chief Market Development Officer, ADGM.

With the FSP license now in place, Circle is positioned to expand regulated payment and settlement use cases in the UAE for businesses, developers, and financial institutions. These developments advance Circle’s mission to deliver trusted digital dollars onchain while supporting the UAE’s leadership in building an open, transparent, innovation-forward financial system.

Today’s announcement builds on Circle’s growing footprint in the UAE, including the Dubai International Financial Centre’s recognition of USDC and EURC as the first stablecoins under the DFSA’s crypto token regime earlier this year. It reflects Circle’s continued progress as a public company advancing trusted digital money and onchain utility for enterprises worldwide.

About Circle Internet Group, Inc.

Circle (NYSE: CRCL) is one of the world’s leading internet financial platform companies, building the foundation of a more open, global economy through digital assets, payment applications, and programmable blockchain infrastructure. Circle’s platform includes the world’s largest regulated stablecoin network anchored by USDC, Circle Payments Network for global money movement, and Arc, an enterprise-grade blockchain designed to become the Economic OS for the internet. Enterprises, financial institutions, and developers use Circle to power trusted, internet-scale financial innovation. Learn more at circle.com.