Circle, ACI Worldwide Test USDC Settlements on Colombia's Bre-B Network

Circle Aims to Integrate USDC into Latin American Banking Infrastructure

Circle, the issuer of the USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin, is forging a partnership with payments technology firm ACI Worldwide to embed USDC settlement capabilities within the existing banking systems of Latin America. The initiative will commence with a pilot program in Colombia.

The collaboration, announced on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, emphasizes a cooperative approach rather than disruptive change. The aim is to enable stablecoin settlements to operate alongside traditional payment systems, rather than seeking to replace them.

This integration pairs Circle’s USDC infrastructure with ACI Connetic, ACI’s cloud-based payments orchestration platform. ACI Connetic is designed to manage both traditional and digital payment flows on a single platform. By incorporating USDC, banks could theoretically route certain transactions through the stablecoin without necessitating a complete overhaul of their back-office operations.

The Colombian pilot will leverage the country’s interoperable instant payment system, known as Bre-B. Operated by Colombia’s central bank, Banco de la República, Bre-B allows for instant payments between customers of different banks through shared infrastructure, eliminating the need for fragmented private links.

Bre-B has demonstrated rapid adoption, recording over 500 million transactions in its initial five months of operation as of March 2026. During the same period, it also surpassed 100 million registered payment keys.

According to a summary of the initiative, the overarching goal is to establish a multi-rail ecosystem. This would allow financial institutions to test compliance and operational models within familiar frameworks while integrating digital assets into their daily processes.

Kash Razzaghi of Circle highlighted the importance of connecting the digital economy with established financial infrastructure. Craig Ramsey of ACI noted a discernible shift towards the practical application of stablecoins.

The partnership is presented as a direct response to the increasing interest shown by financial institutions across Latin America in digital asset solutions.

Colombia represents a strategic entry point for Circle in the region, building on its prior establishment of a USDC presence through Mercado Pago, the fintech arm of a prominent regional e-commerce platform. This latest agreement with ACI also follows earlier expansions of stablecoin payout services in Latin America.

Both Circle and ACI Worldwide are publicly traded companies. Circle is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CRCL, and ACI Worldwide trades as ACIW.

The word “alongside” appears to be a key differentiator in this announcement. By integrating USDC into an existing orchestration layer through a pilot program, the initiative significantly lowers the adoption barrier for banks that may be hesitant to implement new technologies that require the replacement of their current operational systems.

The selection of Colombia for this pilot is particularly noteworthy. The success of its central bank-operated payment system, which processed over 500 million transactions in just five months, indicates a strong regional appetite for swift digital payment solutions.

As this is a pilot program, critical milestones will include whether participating banks progress beyond the testing phase and whether Colombian regulators remain comfortable with stablecoin settlement interacting with a central bank-managed network. The announcement positions Colombia as the foundational step for broader adoption across Latin America.