Circle Foundation Funds Regulated Stablecoin Payments for Humanitarian Aid
The Circle Foundation has granted funds to both the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to test the use of regulated stablecoin payments for development and humanitarian aid.
These grants aim to determine whether USDC, a stablecoin issued by Circle Internet Group, can move donor funds faster, more transparently, and at lower cost than traditional correspondent banking networks.
The UNDP's Digital Asset Innovation Pool will help country offices scale isolated digital-payment pilots into standing operations. The WFP, on the other hand, plans to test two to three national payment corridors over the next three years, connecting WFP's internal payment systems with local financial providers and cash-out markets.
Circle Foundation has previously tested similar approaches with UN agencies, including a program sending USDC to people displaced by the war in Ukraine. However, deployments in low-connectivity regions still require some communications pathway for blockchain transactions to settle.