Circle launches Gas Station and smart contract platform

USDC stablecoin issuer Circle on Thursday released an upgraded version of its Web3 programmable crypto wallet that allows merchants to take over and pay customers’ transaction fees. According to the press release, the new feature called Gas Station allows businesses to leverage ERC-4337 payers to sponsor users’ gas charges. Circle said the feature will initially be available on the Polygon mainnet and testnet, as well as the Ethereum testnet, and will be expanded to more blockchains later. Southeast Asian super app Grab is currently piloting a new product to pay gas for Singaporean users using NFT vouchers. Additionally, a smart contract platform was launched, aiming to help developers build applications faster by providing a "one-stop service to import, explore, deploy and manage smart contracts." The product’s API is currently available on Avalanche (AVAX), Ethereum, and Polygon. Gagan Mac, Web3 Services Product Director at Circle, said: “We are reducing friction and making blockchain transactions more accessible to everyone. With the launch of Gas Station, we are waiving blockchain transaction fees for end users. Users and Smart contract platforms make it easier for businesses to take advantage of blockchain networks.” (CoinDesk)