Circle and Nomura join forces to target a $440 billion daily foreign exchange market in Japan

Markets Circle and Nomura join forces to target a $440 billion daily foreign exchange market in Japan The stablecoin giant and the Japanese financial corporation plan to deploy cross-border foreign exchange settlements as early as next year. By Olivier Acuna | Edited by Omkar Godbole Jun 25, 2026, 12:29 p.m. 2 min read Make preferred on Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on Nomura Holdings has partnered with Circle to target a massive foreign exchange market with USDC for faster, lower-cost transactions. (Hamihoko/Wikimedia Commons) Summary Show Circle and Nomura plan to launch a USDC-based digital asset settlement and corporate payment service in Japan as early as 2027, allowing businesses to swap yen for the dollar-pegged stablecoin. The service will target Japan’s sizable import, export and corporate currency markets by using blockchain to cut cross-border and foreign-exchange transfer times from days to minutes. The partnership follows Japan’s updated payment rules that cleared USDC for local corporate use, with Nomura overseeing client onboarding, regulatory compliance and integration with existing banking systems. Boston-based stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Financial announced a partnership on Thursday with Japanese financial conglomerate Nomura Holdings to launch a digital asset settlement business. The firms plan to deploy a corporate payment service in Japan as early as 2027. The agreement will let Japanese businesses exchange yen for USDC, Circle's U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, according to the announcement first reported by Nikkei . USDC is the world’s second-largest dollar-pegged stablecoin, boasting a market cap of $73.8 billion as of this writing. The Circle stablecoin token can be used for cross-border supplier payments, transfers between overseas affiliates, and foreign exchange settlements. The business aims at Japan's import, export, and corporate currency markets. Bank for International Settlements data shows that Japan's foreign exchange market handled $440 billion in daily transactions as of 2025. Standard bank wires take two to three business days to clear funds between yen and foreign currencies. This blockchain setup can drastically reduce that transfer time. The Circle-Nomura deal follows changes to local laws . Japan’s Financial Services Agency cleared USDC under its updated payment rules, making it the first global dollar stablecoin allowed for local corporate use. Circle operates this network through Circle Japan, its local branch that already handles distribution with SBI Holdings. Nomura will handle client onboarding in Japan, address regulatory requirements and connect the platform to existing banking systems. Over the next year, the partners expect to put the remaining infrastructure in place, strengthen custody arrangements, and complete the banking integrations needed before the planned 2027 rollout. Japan Circle Stablecoins Latest Crypto News 1 Bitcoin derivatives signal panic. A weak core PCE reading could trigger snapback. 59 minutes ago 2 CoinEx denies claims it served as $3.84 billion gateway to sanctioned Iranian crypto firms 1 hour ago 3 Crypto relief rally fails to shake persistent bearish derivatives signal 1 hour ago 4 Bitcoin supply in loss reaches record high 10.83 million BTC 2 hours ago 5 Micron delivers blowout earnings, surges 16% and deals crypto bulls a blow 2 hours ago 6 Forget max pain theory. Bitcoin is well below the $72,000 magnet going into $10 billion options expiry 5 hours ago 7 Live markets: Bitcoin steadies ahead of U.S. PCE inflation data as DXY remains strong 6 hours ago 8 MemeCore's M token suddenly crashes 80% with no clear trigger 6 hours ago 9 Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin goes live in Japan after regulatory approval 7 hours ago 10 Bitcoin has a new line in the sand. Thursday’s core PCE could stress test it. 7 hours ago Latest Research CEX Volumes Drop to Lowest Since September 2024 as RWA Perps Hit Record High CEX Volumes Drop to Lowest Since September 2024 as RWA Perps Hit Record High In May, combined exchange volumes fell 3.45% to $4.41T; the lowest since September 2024. RWA perpetual futures volumes rose 10.4% against the trend, hitting a new all-time high. By CoinDesk Research Jun 15, 2026 In May, combined exchange volumes fell 3.45% to $4.41T; the lowest since September 2024. RWA perpetual futures volumes rose 10.4% against the trend, hitting a new all-time high. Why it matters : In May, combined exchange volumes fell 3.45% to $4.41T; the lowest since September 2024. RWA perpetual futures volumes rose 10.4% against the trend, hitting a new all-time high. View Full Report More From Markets Crypto relief rally fails to shake persistent bearish derivatives signal Bitcoin supply in loss reaches record high 10.83 million BTC Micron delivers blowout earnings, surges 16% and deals crypto bulls a blow