Blockworks

MoneyGram has launched a new mobile application in Colombia that uses USD-pegged stablecoins to modernize cross-border remittances. According to an <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/moneygram-reinvents-cross-border-finance-with-next-generation-app-302559343.html">announcement</a> on Wednesday, the app allows customers to receive money instantly into a US dollar balance backed by Circle’s USDC stablecoin, which can be stored, spent, or cashed out through MoneyGram’s global retail network. The rollout is designed to address the volatility of local currencies, particularly the Colombian peso.



Built on the Stellar blockchain and supported by wallet infrastructure provider Crossmint, the app marks MoneyGram’s most significant move yet to integrate stablecoins into consumer-facing services.



Colombia was selected as the first market due to its heavy reliance on inbound remittances—families in the country receive more than 22 times the amount they send abroad, according to Statista. The announcement said future expansions will target other remittance-heavy markets.



MoneyGram, which has nearly 500,000 retail locations globally, has experimented with blockchain rails since partnering with the Stellar Development Foundation in 2021. It has since built cash on and off ramps for stablecoins, developed APIs for crypto integration, and incorporated stablecoins into its internal settlement processes.



“This launch is the first step toward a world where every person, everywhere, has access to dollar stablecoins,” CEO Anthony Soohoo stated.



The company emphasized compliance, citing decades of regulatory experience, though stablecoin oversight remains fluid. The US Congress passed the GENIUS Act earlier this year, establishing a framework for stablecoin regulation, which MoneyGram has pointed to as providing clearer guardrails.



This is a developing story.



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This article was generated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by editor&nbsp;<a href="mailto:jeffrey@blockworks.co" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jeffrey Albus</a>&nbsp;before publication.



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dApps

MoneyGram launches stablecoin-powered app in Colombia

James Cirrone

MoneyGram, a company primarily known for its cash transfer services, has plans to offer a noncustodial cryptocurrency wallet by the first quarter of 2024.



The wallet will be built on the Stellar network, which is unsurprising given MoneyGram’s longstanding partnership with the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF). <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/moneygram-customers-can-now-convert-cash-to-usdc">MoneyGram first integrated with Stellar back in October 2021</a> so customers could convert USDC into cash and vice versa.&nbsp;



Software design company Cheesecake Labs designed the wallet, which will be offered as a zero-fee service until June 2024. The wallet will also have access to MoneyGram’s existing fiat on- and off-ramps on Stellar.&nbsp;



<a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/moneygram">MoneyGram</a>’s digital wallet will benefit from a significant network of physical ATMs and payment centers which will allow users to easily off-ramp. There are 350,000 money transfer locations globally, according to the company. 



“Through the services we provide in partnership with SDF, MoneyGram has made strides to create equitable access to the global financial system,” MoneyGram CEO Alex Holmes said in a <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/moneygram-announces-plans-to-launch-non-custodial-digital-wallet-301938171.html">statement</a>.



Right now, MoneyGram customers can cash out their digital assets in over 180 countries and buy digital assets with cash in over 30 countries, the company said.&nbsp;



Beyond the widespread ATM access, MoneyGram’s wallet users will also be able to send USDC to other wallet users.&nbsp;



Once the wallet rolls out next year, MoneyGram said it would “expand” its capabilities and introduce new features. There was no mention of what capabilities or features would be added, and a MoneyGram representative didn’t immediately return a request for comment.



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MoneyGram

Payments giant MoneyGram plots noncustodial wallet launch

Jacquelyn Melinek

<div id="highlights-block_615e020884506" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>As of Wednesday, USDC has a market capitalization of $32.4 billion, up 1110% from $2.68 billion on the year-ago date, according to CoinMarketCap data</li>
 <li>The partnership is expected to roll out in select markets in 2021 and hit international markets for 2022</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Financial payments service company MoneyGram is partnering with the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) to integrate its network with the Stellar blockchain and Circle’s USD Coin (USDC), the company said.&nbsp;



The partnership will provide customers with the ability to convert cash to USDC and vice versa. Additionally, the conversion of cash into Circle’s USDC will increase utility and liquidity of digital assets while helping more consumers participate in the digital economy, the company said.&nbsp;



&#8220;[This partnership] highlights how much more opportunity there is to improve interoperability between traditional and digital financial rails. We believe blockchain on and off ramps offer the right solution,” said Denelle Dixon, CEO and executive director of SDF in an email to Blockworks. “Together, we&#8217;re showing how blockchain and innovations like stablecoins can connect to traditional rails to provide new economic opportunities for previously underserved groups,” she added.&nbsp;



The USDC is a digital dollar stablecoin issued by regulated financial institutions, backed by fully reserved assets and redeemable at a ratio of 1:1 for US dollars, according to Circle’s <a href="https://www.circle.com/en/usdc" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">website</a>. 



As of Wednesday, USDC has a market capitalization of $32.4 billion, up 1110% from $2.68 billion on the year-ago date, according to CoinMarketCap <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/usd-coin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">data</a>.



MoneyGram has helped around 150 million people transfer money to others in the past five years across over 400,000 locations. Stellar’s network has increased to over 5 million accounts since it launched in 2014, according to its website.



In regards to the partnership, Dallas-based United Texas Bank will serve as a settlement bank between Circle and MoneyGram, it said. The partnership is expected to roll out in select markets in 2021 and hit international markets for 2022, the company said.&nbsp;



Businesses like MoneyGram and Western Union are <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/el-salvador-bitcoin-wallet-could-disrupt-traditional-remittance-markets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">facing</a> competition from Bitcoin technology-based payment services like Strike, which offers instant payments globally at close to no cost. While MoneyGram’s transfers start at no cost, or $0, a transfer fee and currency exchange rate can apply, according to its website. 



This partnership is the latest effort by a traditional financial service company to adapt to the ever-changing world of digital assets. But, some think that these money transfer companies should stick to their traditional industries, rather than competing in new digital asset spaces.



“If I was the CEO of those companies I would stay focused on doing what they do well and try to optimize it. Crypto is an entirely new industry and they will have difficulty adapting,” said Charlie Silver, CEO of Permission.io.&nbsp;



In general, there are many industries that have little to no growth but are still successful like book stores, print magazines, network and cable TV and so on, Silver said. “Although they have a shrinking market, they can still be successful,” Silver added.&nbsp;



Separately, in mid-July, Asia-based cryptocurrency exchange platform Liquid Group, Inc. also announced a joint venture with SDF to provide USDC with Stellar’s network, Blockworks previously <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/asias-liquid-exchange-adds-usdc-on-stellar-as-global-stablecoin-demand-jumps/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>. Similar to MoneyGram, Liquid Group said that providing USDC would give users faster and cheaper transactions.



Stablecoin usage is especially high in East Asia due to the Chinese government’s ban in 2017 of direct exchanges of Chinese yuan for cryptocurrency. About 33% of trading activity in 2020 was attributed to stablecoin transactions, according to a <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/asias-liquid-exchange-adds-usdc-on-stellar-as-global-stablecoin-demand-jumps/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> by Chainalysis.



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