Apple Pay, the very popular digital wallet offering from Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), is now available via Circle, according to a blog post.
Circle stated that eligible businesses who build with Circle can now accept Apple Pay. This includes both in-App payments as well as using a Safari browser. Circle said this feature will help “crypto native businesses” as some customers may want to pay with a more traditional method to purchase crypto. Businesses can “shift more retail payments to digital currency and experience the benefits of USDC settlement.”
Circle indicated that there are more payment methods on the way as they bridge traditional and native payments.
While many people view the dollar-based stablecoin issued by Circle, USDC, as a cryptocurrency, in many respects, it is just an improvement over traditional payment rails. Faster and less costly. Circle emphasizes that USDC is “always redeemable 1:1 for U.S. dollars.”
Circle has long been a proponent of greater regulatory scrutiny in the crypto sector and, in fact, has applied for a banking license. Earlier this month, Circle received “in-principle” regulatory approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore to operate as a Major Payments Institution, providing transfers and payments, including cross-border transactions.