Circle Partners with LianLian Global to Explore Stablecoin-Powered Cross-Border Payments
Circle (NYSE: CRCL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with LianLian Global to explore the expansion of USDC usage in cross-border payments. The collaboration aims to assess stablecoin-powered cross-border payment infrastructure to enable faster and more resilient international transactions, particularly within high-volume flows.
This initiative will evaluate upgrading treasury and settlement processes to reduce friction and improve reliability for merchants operating across various jurisdictions and currencies. The partnership seeks to enhance cost efficiency and streamline settlement by exploring stablecoin rails and near real-time settlement with greater transparency.
Additionally, the collaboration aims to expand access in emerging markets by combining Circle’s USDC infrastructure with LianLian Global’s regional expertise to unlock new merchant use cases. LianLian Global operates across key international trade corridors and serves millions of merchants, especially in the e-commerce and cross-border trade sectors.
The partnership also considers using Circle’s Arc layer-1 blockchain to support future payment use cases across the network. Yam Ki Chan, VP Asia Pacific at Circle, highlighted the strategic alignment of this partnership with Circle's approach of working with regulated financial institutions and licensed payment providers as stablecoins become embedded in global financial systems. He emphasized the goal of building open, interoperable financial infrastructure in Asia and beyond.
