Circle Plans USDC Expansion Into 40 Emerging Markets

Circle plans to expand USDC into about 40 emerging markets in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. The company has not set a timetable for entering each market, and the rollout has not yet begun.

Chief Executive Jeremy Allaire attributed the planned expansion to organic demand for stablecoins in those regions.

Circle reported that USDC processed more than $36 trillion in on-chain transaction value in June. USDC represented about 77% of total stablecoin transaction volume that month, up from 60% a year earlier, according to the company.

Circle allocated about $1.4 billion in revenue during the first half of 2026. The amount included $819 million for distribution partners and transaction costs and $473 million for infrastructure, compliance and product development.

The planned expansion comes as indicators for the wider crypto market remain weak. Stablecoin market capitalization has struggled to rise above $310 billion in the opening weeks of the fourth quarter. Bitcoin has fallen 2.5% and has not reclaimed $90,000, while buying pressure across the market remains limited.

Total value locked across decentralized finance protocols has declined by more than $6 billion in October after rising by about $30 billion in the third quarter. The increase lifted DeFi’s total value locked to a multimonth high of $98 billion in late September.

USDC’s market capitalization rose by about $3 billion in the third quarter, while Tether’s USDT market value fell by roughly 0.5%. Circle’s share price increased by 31% during the same period.

During an earlier period of USDC growth, the stablecoin’s increased use coincided with a 40% rise in total cryptocurrency market capitalization. The figures do not establish that USDC growth caused the broader market increase.