Nomura Securities has stepped in to handle USDC settlement, and Japan’s traditional finance has finally opened the door to the on-chain world—this pace is faster than I expected.

According to CoinWorld news, as reported by Nikkei, Japan will allow companies to use USDC for instant foreign exchange settlement. Circle is partnering with Nomura, one of Japan’s largest financial firms, to launch a stablecoin settlement business. The USDC stablecoin will be used to transfer funds faster between financial institutions and to conduct transactions outside normal banking hours. Notably, USDC became the first dollar-backed stablecoin approved for the Japanese market in March 2025.