Stablecoin Issuer Circle Targets 40 Emerging Markets Amid Growing Demand and Cost Savings

Circle's CEO and chairman, Jeremy Allaire, announced the company’s plans to enter approximately 40 emerging markets. This move comes as the crypto industry transitions from early adopters to broader mainstream scaling, according to Allaire’s comments to Reuters during the IMF and World Bank meetings in Bangkok.

Allaire noted that regions including Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East are seeing an uptick in demand for stablecoins. This is driven by both businesses and individuals aiming to engage more fully with the digital economy.

According to a new third-quarter report from the payments network Borderless.xyz, sending money via stablecoins costs about 84% less than traditional remittance methods. This data illustrates significant savings for users worldwide.

For transferring $200, the median fee through stablecoin networks is roughly $2 (1%), compared to $12.72 (6.36%) for conventional transfers. This comparison uses Borderless pricing from Q3 2026 alongside World Bank data from the same period last year.

Cost savings are especially impressive in developing countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, stablecoin remittances average 2.9% of the amount sent, whereas traditional transfers can cost 8.46%. In Latin America, the fees correspond to 1.25% for stablecoins versus 5.64% for traditional methods.

Businesses also benefit from these lower costs. Sending $10,000 via stablecoin to the eurozone costs about $26, while international bank wires can range from $135 to $150 when including currency exchange fees.

Beyond cost, stablecoin payments settle faster in several key markets: on average two minutes in Brazil and Colombia, and three minutes in Mexico. In contrast, traditional SWIFT transfers generally complete the next business day.

Reliability of stablecoin payments differs by location; Mexico shows a high success rate of 98.6%, while Costa Rica experiences a lower completion rate of 73%, reflecting local payment infrastructure’s variability.

Solana announced a postponement of its Shanghai Accelerate event after the number of registered attendees quickly surpassed the local capacity limit set by authorities, according to foundation president Lily Liu.

Liu explained that registrations quadrupled overnight following extensive publicity, prompting organizers to delay the event to ensure compliance with local regulations.

Earlier reports on social media indicated the event was abruptly paused as law enforcement officers were stationed at the venue.

Previously, in October 2025, a Solana event in Shenzhen was prematurely ended over capacity and public safety concerns, as noted by the platform’s Chinese community account.

The Shanghai event was planned as the first stop on Solana Accelerate’s four-city China tour, with Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing scheduled to follow, according to the event’s official website.

This postponement took place shortly after Solana executives announced the opening of a new office in Shanghai earlier that week.

The developments reflect expanding opportunities for crypto adoption in emerging markets and highlight stablecoins' role in reducing remittance costs and accelerating payments, while also showing regulatory and logistical challenges faced by blockchain projects like Solana.

As stablecoins continue making financial services more accessible and affordable in developing economies, Circle’s expansion and Borderless’ findings emphasize the sector’s growing impact. At the same time, Solana’s event postponement underscores the ongoing need for cryptocurrency projects to navigate local regulations carefully.

These updates illustrate a critical phase in blockchain technology’s integration into mainstream finance and local economies worldwide. They underscore stablecoins’ potential to drive global financial inclusion and the importance of balancing innovation with compliance in growth regions.

Understanding these shifts helps investors and users appreciate the evolving crypto landscape and its real-world applications, especially in emerging markets where digital financial tools can make a substantial difference.