Circle Taps Standard Chartered for Regulated Institutional USDC Minting and Redemptions

Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, has teamed up with Standard Chartered to provide institutional clients with a regulated, bank-based route to mint and redeem USDC. Circle said the rollout is designed to broaden stablecoin adoption across financial firms by offering a streamlined onboarding and access experience for qualified institutions. Standard Chartered is launching the service through its Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) operations, making it the first Global Systemically Important Bank (GSIB) to offer institutional access to USDC via a regulated banking channel. The integration embeds Circle's stablecoin infrastructure into Standard Chartered's existing banking framework, aiming to improve accessibility for institutional users while maintaining risk management, compliance, and governance standards. The firms said the setup reduces the need for clients to use separate banking and crypto platforms, enabling eligible institutions to access USDC directly through the bank. The combined solution is intended to help institutions move capital more efficiently between blockchain networks and traditional financial rails, supporting use cases such as on-chain settlement, liquidity management, and treasury operations. The partners also indicated the infrastructure is positioned to support payment-related applications over time as stablecoin usage expands globally. Kash Razzaghi, Circle's Chief Commercial Officer, said bringing a compliant USDC model into Standard Chartered's platform enables institutions to use stablecoins for treasury, settlement, and payments. Roberto Hoornweg, Standard Chartered's CEO of Corporate and Investment Banking, said the new service is expected to raise the bar for regulatory oversight, governance, and trust for institutional stablecoin activity.