Circle buys Tazapay to boost cross-border payments

Circle has agreed to acquire Singapore-based cross-border payments platform Tazapay, adding a business that handles more than USD $25 billion in annualised payment volume.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval, including clearance from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition would bring Tazapay's network of more than 60 banking and fintech partners into Circle's payments business. It would also expand Circle's access to local payout rails in more than 100 markets, with a particular focus on business-to-business cross-border payments for payment service providers and financial institutions.

Headquartered in Singapore, Tazapay has built its business around moving funds across markets for institutional customers. About 60% of its transaction volume already includes stablecoins, according to Circle, which issues the USDC stablecoin.

The deal advances Circle's push to expand beyond stablecoin issuance into broader money movement services. Tazapay has also worked with Circle as a design partner for Circle Payments Network since 2025, giving the companies an existing commercial relationship ahead of the takeover agreement.

In practical terms, the acquisition would strengthen Circle's presence in Asia-Pacific and other emerging markets where demand for USDC-denominated transactions is rising. It would also deepen its ties with banks, fintechs, and institutional payment customers already using Tazapay's cross-border network.

Payments expansion

Circle cast the acquisition as part of its effort to build a broader global payments network around USDC. Stablecoins, digital tokens designed to maintain a fixed value against a currency such as the US dollar, have become a growing part of cross-border settlement because they can move outside traditional banking hours.

That shift has pushed payment groups and financial institutions to find ways to connect digital dollar settlement with domestic payout systems, bank accounts, and compliance processes in local markets. By buying an established payments platform rather than building every connection from scratch, Circle would gain a faster route into those operational relationships.

Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman at Circle, said the deal would combine Circle's stablecoin network with Tazapay's banking reach and customer base.

"Stablecoin settlement is becoming core infrastructure in the global economy and combining USDC with Tazapay's world-class banking relationships, local payout rails, and institutional customer base will accelerate worldwide USDC adoption," said Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman at Circle.

"Tazapay has been a design partner for Circle Payments Network since 2025 and we share a deep alignment. We are excited to bring the team in-house and work together towards accelerating Circle's mission," Allaire said.

Regional reach

One of the main attractions for Circle is Tazapay's footprint across Asia-Pacific and other fast-growing markets for international commerce. Tazapay's network is designed to help institutions originate and complete payments across borders while connecting to local banking systems.

Irfan Ganchi, Senior Vice President of Payments at Circle, said the business would improve Circle's coverage on both the sending and receiving sides of cross-border transactions.

"Tazapay brings deep payment infrastructure across APAC and emerging markets, where we see increasing demand for USDC-denominated transactions. This acquisition will increase Circle's capability to originate and terminate payments globally, near-instant and 24/7, which is a meaningful step toward making USDC the default payment rail for cross-border commerce," said Irfan Ganchi, Senior Vice President of Payments at Circle.

"Combined with Circle's existing network, Tazapay extends our coverage to move money anywhere stablecoin payments are being adopted globally," Ganchi said.

No disruption

Circle said Tazapay customers should not expect changes to service, application programming interfaces, pricing, or support as a result of the agreement. That reassurance is likely to matter for payment companies and financial institutions that depend on continuity in cross-border settlement flows.

Rahul Shinghal, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tazapay, said the decision reflected the limits of scaling alone in a market shaped by both banking infrastructure and digital dollar settlement.

"We built Tazapay to make payments faster, remove friction, and streamline dependency on banking rails that don't operate at the speed of global commerce. Circle has the dollar infrastructure in USDC and the regulatory standing to take what we've built further than we could alone. That's what makes this the right move and what we're focused on delivering together," said Rahul Shinghal, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tazapay.