Circle recently announced significant news regarding its USDC stablecoin. On March 4, 2025, CEO Jeremy Allaire revealed that USDC became the first global dollar stablecoin authorized for use in Japan. This development comes as a partnership with SBI, the exclusive exchange in Japan allowed to facilitate USDC transactions, which is set to begin limited trading from March 12, 2025.

“USDC becomes the first and only global dollar stablecoin to be approved for use in Japan! Congrats to SBI for being the first to be permitted to list and distribute USDC.”
Translation: USDC은 일본에서 사용 승인된 첫 번째이자 유일한 글로벌 달러 안정 코인이 됩니다! SBI가 USDC를 나열하고 배포할 수 있도록 허가받은 첫 번째입니다.

In June 2022, Japan recognized digital tokens as currencies, with plans to regulate stablecoins under a new law. This approval follows quickly after the Dubai Financial Services Authority recognized USDC along with EURC, enabling integration into various applications for over 6,000 companies in Dubai.

Dante Disparte, Circle’s Chief Strategy Officer, emphasized the importance of this recognition:

“This validation strengthens Circle’s standing as the only major global stablecoin issuer compliant with EU regulations and current Canadian listing standards.”

With the growing interest and potential challenges to Tether’s dominance, the landscape of stablecoins is changing, particularly as USDC’s market cap saw a notable increase of 23% recently, reaching $56.3 billion.