Circle Foundation announced two grants to the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme to explore digital payments and digital financial infrastructure in humanitarian aid and development projects. According to ChainCatcher, the programs will examine how digital payments and regulated payment stablecoins could distribute funds to recipients faster, more transparently, and at lower cost.

For UNDP, the funding will support the creation and operation of a Digital Asset Innovation Pool to help country offices expand digital payment pilots from Syria, Haiti, Guatemala, and Gambia into routine program delivery. The mechanism will provide regulatory, operational, and beneficiary protection support, while serving as a complement to existing payment systems rather than replacing traditional banking channels.

For WFP, the grant will support governance, risk management, treasury and reconciliation systems, and compliance tools needed for stablecoin payments, along with integration of local fintech and mobile payment services. Over the next three years, WFP plans to test two to three payment channels linking its payment systems with local financial service providers and markets to assess stablecoin payments for efficiency, transparency, and resilience.