According to Bloomberg sources, Ant Group will begin using USDC on its AntChain platform immediately after Circle completes all necessary procedures to comply with US regulations. However, the timing of this verification depends on whether the US Congress passes the GENIUS bill, which regulates stablecoins, and in what form it will be approved. The exact date for the launch of the integration has not yet been announced, but Ant Group emphasizes that they are actively and systematically preparing for this process.
Kelvin Lee, head of the treasury department of Ant Group, noted in an interview that the use of USDC will significantly simplify international payments and the management of the company's financial flows. According to him, the Circle stablecoin will ensure more efficient and transparent transactions on a global scale.
Ant Group expects USDC, the second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization with a market value of about $62 billion, to become a key component of Alibaba’s payment infrastructure, which serves more than 1.6 billion users. As a result, the volume of transactions on the AntChain blockchain could double by 2026.
In addition, Reuters recently reported that Ant Group has applied to the People’s Bank of China to issue its own stablecoin pegged to the Chinese yuan. This move could further strengthen the company’s position in the digital currency market and expand domestic and international payment options.
Thus, Ant Group aims to combine international and domestic financial solutions using both USDC and potentially its own digital yuan, which should increase the flexibility and scalability of their payment ecosystem.
The company continues to closely monitor changes in US legislation and is ready to quickly respond to new regulatory requirements in order to successfully implement modern digital tools in its services.