Stablecoin issuer Circle is joining forces with crypto infrastructure provider Crossmint to bring its U.S. dollar–pegged coin, USDC, to more blockchain networks. The collaboration is designed to make near-instant digital payments accessible to both human users and autonomous AI systems.
Crossmint explained that by combining its wallets and application-programming interfaces (APIs) for stablecoin onboarding and automated payments with USDC’s liquidity, the partnership lays the groundwork for “a new era of finance” where money moves globally in seconds and can be used by machines as easily as by people.
Why AI Matters
Developers at Coinbase, including Kevin Leffew and Lincoln Murr, anticipate that autonomous AI agents will become major users of stablecoins. They envision use cases such as AI paying for self-driving taxi rides, publishing content, or storing data on decentralized networks—all automatically funded with digital dollars.
Growing Role in Emerging Markets
Stablecoins are also proving vital in countries facing high inflation. In Argentina, for instance, residents often rely on informal “crypto caves” to swap local currency for U.S.-pegged coins. And last week, MoneyGram announced that its crypto payments app—built on Crossmint’s self-custody infrastructure—will launch in Colombia, giving locals a way to hold USDC instead of the weakening peso. MoneyGram already serves more than 50 million customers across 190+ countries.
Market Landscape
Despite these advances for USDC, Tether (USDT) remains the most widely used stablecoin. CoinGecko reports roughly $100 billion in 24-hour trading volume for USDT, compared with about $10 billion for USDC. USDT’s market capitalization stands near $173 billion, well ahead of USDC’s $74 billion, and its supply on the Tron network recently surpassed $80 billion—thanks to low fees and quick settlement.
Additional Partnerships
Crossmint’s expansion continues beyond Circle. Earlier this week it revealed a separate alliance with Tempo, a layer-1 blockchain project focused on payments. Tempo is backed by payment infrastructure giant Stripe, which processed over $1.4 trillion in 2024, along with crypto investment firm Paradigm.
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