Circle and ACI Worldwide announced a partnership on October 27, 2026, to integrate USDC settlement into existing banking infrastructure in Latin America. The initiative begins with a pilot program in Colombia, utilizing the ACI Connetic cloud-based payments orchestration platform to process both traditional and digital transactions.
The pilot leverages Bre-B, the instant-payment system managed by the Central Bank of Colombia, Banco de la República. As of March 2026, the Bre-B network recorded over 500 million transactions and exceeded 100 million registered payment keys within its first five months of operation.
The collaboration aims to enable financial institutions to incorporate stablecoins into their daily operations without replacing legacy systems. This approach is designed to lower technical barriers for banks by allowing them to test compliance and operational models within familiar frameworks.
This project follows Circle's previous expansion in the region, which included a partnership with the fintech firm Mercado Pago. Both Circle, trading as CRCL, and ACI Worldwide, trading as ACIW, are publicly listed companies on the New York Stock Exchange.
