Circle Ventures invests in Flutterwave as it grows USDC payments and settlement throughout Africa

Circle Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of Circle Internet Group, has invested an undisclosed sum in Nigerian payments upstart Flutterwave to help it integrate USDC settlement directly into the payment flows that companies already use.

Flutterwave, which was founded in 2016, develops cutting-edge infrastructure and payment technology for Africa so that individuals and companies may engage with the global economy. With its solution, banks and merchants may process any type of payment anywhere in Africa by replacing several payment integrations with a single, straightforward API. The company has facilitated over 1 billion distinct transactions and processed over US$40 billion in payments thus far.

Following Flutterwave’s involvement in the launch of Circle Payments Network in 2025, the company announced last month that it had raised a Series E round of funding valued at US$3.2 billion. This was followed by a strategic investment from Circle Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Circle Internet Group.

This financing helps Flutterwave’s endeavor to directly integrate USDC settlement into the current payment flows used by enterprises. By collecting locally and settling in USDC, merchants can cut expenses and delays while enabling almost instantaneous settlement outside of regular business hours.

Flutterwave’s approach to establish stablecoins as essential financial infrastructure to enable dependable and quick settlements across Africa is at the heart of this venture. Flutterwave facilitates blockchain-based payments that conform to current regulatory requirements and company operational standards by supporting USDC settlement within a compliance-first framework.

“This support from Circle Ventures is about backing the rails that will power the next era of global money movement from Africa. Stablecoins like USDC are no longer an experiment; they are becoming core financial infrastructure,” said Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, founder and CEO of Flutterwave.

“By embedding USDC settlement into our current payments infrastructure, we are building a system that lets businesses move money at the speed of the internet. This fundamentally changes how payments from Africa connect to the world and it positions Flutterwave as the default stablecoin gateway for the continent.”