Global trade operates continuously, yet settlement of trade finance transactions remains dependent on legacy banking infrastructure. Cut-off times, correspondent banking processes, and time-zone dependencies can delay supplier payments, and introduce operational friction in cross-border trade flows.
At Olea, the focus has been on modernizing settlement where it delivers tangible improvement—while preserving the institutional discipline that underpins trade finance.
Integrating On-Chain Settlement into Trade Finance
In March 2026, Olea executed its first live on-chain trade finance disbursement using USDC, a fully reserved digital dollar issued by Circle and designed to operate within regulated financial frameworks. The transaction demonstrates how on-chain settlement can be integrated into established trade finance workflows to support improvements in settlement speed, transparency, and operational efficiency without disrupting commercial processes.
The disbursement funded verified trade receivables for a major commodities client, releasing USDC directly to the Asian supplier against confirmed international invoices. As a result, settlement was completed in minutes—independent of banking hours, weekends, or local clearing constraints.
Connecting Trade Participants with New Settlement Rails
The transaction reflects Olea’s role as an institutional bridge in connecting trade participants with digital settlement infrastructures. In practice, trade documents and receivables were digitally verified through Olea’s platform, funding was distributed via an on-chain rail operating alongside traditional payment infrastructure, and suppliers retained flexibility to hold USDC or convert into fiat USD through regulated off-ramp providers.
By supporting multiple settlement options within a single workflow, Olea enables trade finance to be distributed efficiently across different liquidity environments, while maintaining institutional governance standards.
Scaling Impact on Global Trade
The use of on-chain settlement delivered clear operational benefits, including faster settlement cycles, improved liquidity efficiency through quicker access to funds, and enhanced transparency into transaction status.
“This execution shows how on-chain settlement can be applied responsibly within existing trade finance frameworks,” said Amelia Ng, CEO of Olea. “We are focused on optimizing parts of the workflow where it makes a meaningful difference for our clients.”
“Olea’s transaction demonstrates how USDC can function as part of an institutional financial stack,” said Kash Razzaghi, Chief Commercial Officer at Circle. “This is about interoperability—bringing regulated digital dollars into established financial workflows at scale.”
Following this milestone, Olea and Circle will continue exploring the use of USDC across additional trade corridors, particularly where traditional settlement processes remain slow or inefficient. In addition, as the institutional appetite for tokenized Real-World Assets (RWA) accelerates, the synergy between Olea’s asset origination and USDC’s on-chain liquidity creates a new engine for global trade.
About Olea
Olea is a leading provider of innovative, client-centric solutions dedicated to simplifying global trade for buyers, suppliers, and funders. Incubated by SC Ventures of Standard Chartered Group, Olea connects global liquidity with trade and supply chain opportunities on its institutional grade platform, fuelling growth and unlocking potential across more than 70 trade corridors. Olea’s mission is to make trade finance faster, simpler, and more accessible for businesses of all sizes, across all locations. For more information, visit www.olea.net.
About USDC
USDC is issued by regulated affiliates of Circle. See Circle’s list of regulatory authorizations at circle.com/legal/licenses.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Olea
Brian Lavery
Chief of Staff
+65 8949 8655
brian.lavery@olea.net