ZARU is live as a founding currency pair on Circle StableFX, settling on Arc™. The ZARU/USDC pair is available around the clock, with settlement measured in seconds rather than days.

What has launched

The ZARU/USDC pair is now available on Circle StableFX, a foreign exchange layer built for regulated, reserved stablecoins, settling on Arc. Luno is the primary exchange venue for ZARU/USDC liquidity.

How the pair works

Execution runs through the StableFX request for quote engine, and both legs of a trade settle together atomically on Arc, or neither settles. That structure can reduce the counterparty risk that sits inside traditional rand foreign exchange, where settlement has depended on correspondent banking and a limited trading window.

Why atomic settlement matters

Cross border rand settlement has run on correspondent banking for decades. It works, but it clears over one to three business days, ties up working capital in transit, and adds cost at each intermediary. It was built for banking hours, not for markets that run continuously.

Settling on Arc™ changes the mechanics. Onchain settlement is designed to be near instant, run at all hours, and complete as a single event rather than a chain of handoffs. For treasury teams and market makers, that is a different working capital profile.

How ZARU is backed

ZARU is issued under a Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) licence and is fully reserved, with reserves independently attested on a regular basis. As institutional market makers come onto StableFX and liquidity deepens, the ZARU/USDC pair can progressively reflect the depth of the rand in global digital asset markets.

What this means for the rand

For most of its history the rand has traded onchain only through wrapped or synthetic routes with thin liquidity. A founding pair on a regulated stablecoin foreign exchange layer is a different proposition: a regulated, reserved representation of the rand, trading continuously, settling on Arc. Liquidity will vary based on market conditions and participant activity..

Frequently asked questions

Is ZARU live now?

Yes. ZARU/USDC is trading as a founding pair on Circle StableFX, settling on Arc.

Where can I trade ZARU/USDC?

Luno is the primary exchange venue for ZARU/USDC liquidity.

What backs ZARU?

ZARU is fully reserved, with reserves independently attested on a regular basis.

How fast is settlement?

Settlement on Arc is near instant and available at all hours, compared with the one to three business days typical of traditional correspondent banking.

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