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USDC – USD Coin

64 articles

April 2024

Stripe reopens crypto payments with USDC focus

Stripe reenters the crypto market, enabling stablecoin transactions for merchants.

Binance converts US$1 bln fund; eyes India comeback after obtaining Dubai license

Cryptocurrency giant Binance converts $1B safety fund to USDC, signaling a strategic move to enhance transparency and re-enter the Indian market.

February 2024

Circle ends USDC support on TRON network

USDC halts TRON support, aligning with Circle’s IPO plans.

January 2024

USDC issuer Circle attempts public listing again: report

With the filing for an IPO, Circle aims to capitalize on the growing interest in crypto assets, despite recent industry setbacks.

November 2023

Circle to cease USDC minting for retail customers

Circle said the account closures do not apply to businesses or institutional Circle Mint accounts.

October 2023

Tether appoints Paolo Ardoino as new CEO

Ardoino takes Tether’s helm after serving as the USDT stablecoin issuer’s chief technical officer since 2017.

Philippines Coins.ph partners with Circle for USDC remittances

Coins.ph joins forces with Circle to introduce USDC remittances, targeting a more efficient and affordable money transfer solution for millions of Filipinos abroad, supporting the UN’s goal of trimming remittance costs by 2023.

August 2023

Coinbase buys equity stake in Circle

Coinbase Global announced Monday that it is acquiring an equity stake in Circle Internet Financial, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin.

July 2023

USDC issuer Circle trims workforce

Stablecoin issuer Circle has reduced its workforce and investment in non-core activities.

June 2023

USDC stablecoin issuer Circle obtains Singapore license for digital payments, others

Circle Singapore said Wednesday it has received a Major Payment Institution license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

May 2023

Are deposit tokens the new stablecoins — or a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Stablecoins are a key part of the crypto ecosystem, but banks like JPMorgan are now exploring deposit tokens as an alternative. Which is better, and why?

March 2023

Circle’s USDC bounces back after Silicon Valley Bank bust

Top blockchain and crypto news: USDC stabilizes after SVB collapse. Silvergate closes shop. China tightens financial supervision.

Circle’s Disparte speaks on de-risking crypto from banking risks

The recent U.S. banks fallout is a stress test for both traditional finance and digital assets but to weather the storm side by side is a powerful opportunity, says Circle Chief Strategy Officer Dante Disparte.

Circle says US$3.3 bln USDC reserve at SVB available Monday, announces partnership with Cross River

Circle said the USDC reserve deposits held at the failed Silicon Valley Bank will be recovered when banks open on Monday.

Circle’s USDC stablecoin regains parity as regulators act to stop bank run risk

Circle said its $3.3 billion of USDC cash reserves at the collapsed Silicon Valley Bank will be available Monday after regulators stepped in to backstop deposits.

Bitcoin jumps more than 9% as U.S. acts to protect deposits at crypto-linked banks

Bitcoin and Ether led a rebound in cryptocurrencies in Asia morning trading as U.S. regulators backstopped banks with ties to the crypto industry.

December 2022

Binance resumes USDC withdrawals amid record stablecoin outflows

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, announced at 12:54 a.m. on Wednesday in Hong Kong that USDC stablecoin withdrawals have resumed.

Binance ‘temporarily’ freezes USDC stablecoin withdrawals, cites need for NY banks to reopen

The Binance cryptocurrency exchange “temporarily paused” USDC stablecoin withdrawals while it carried out a “token swap,” the company announced Tuesday.

November 2022

USDC stablecoin issuer Circle expects slower growth over Binance’s BUSD conversion

Circle, the issuer of U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin USDC, has said that stronger competition in the stablecoin market is likely to pressure Circle stablecoins, thereby slowing its growth and weighing on the financial outlook of the company. 

September 2022

USDC coming to five additional blockchain ecosystems

Circle Internet Financial, Inc., the global financial technology company behind the USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin, will soon be making the token available on five additional blockchains, Chief Product Officer Nikhil Chandhok said on Wednesday at the company’s Converge22 conference.  See related article: U.S. Fed has growing interest in CBDCs, says Jeng at Crypto Council for […]

Binance stablecoin conversion controversial, but what does it mean for users?

Binance generated controversy when it told customers it would convert their holdings in three stablecoins to its own stablecoin. Some analysts say the concerns are overblown, others disagree.

India’s WazirX to delist USDC, apply auto convert to Binance’s stablecoin

WazirX, India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trade volume, said it has stopped deposits of stablecoins USDC, USDP and TUSD, and will automatically convert users’ existing balances to Binance’s USD-backed stablecoin BUSD at a 1:1 ratio.  See related article: India’s WazirX introduces new ‘learn and earn’ campaign with The Sandbox Fast facts WazirX will begin the […]

Binance pushes out USDC in aggressive move to boost its own stablecoin

Top blockchain and crypto news: USDC gets the boot from Binance. MicroStrategy looks for Lightning strikes. STEPN heads to Hong Kong.

Binance halts USDC support; Inflation hits crypto

Binance puts it’s own stablecoin, BUSD, at the forefront. Meanwhile, inflation casts its own shadow across the crypto.

Bybit to work with Circle to offer USDC spot pairs

Singapore-headquartered crypto derivatives exchange Bybit is partnering with Circle, the issuer of stablecoin USD Coin (USDC), to offer USDC spot pairs. See related article: Bybit to cut up to 30% of its workforce Fast facts Bybit said on Thursday it will offer Circle’s services to its users by expanding its USDC spot pair listings to […]

August 2022

Crypto volatility returns; Big names investing in blockchain

BTC and ETH hit by volatility, while big players start investing in blockchain despite market wobbles.

USDC whales leave, trading volume soars

The percentage of stablecoin USD Coin (USDC) supply held by the top 1% addresses dropped to a 22-month low on Monday, while USDC average trading volume in seven days surged to an all-time high on the same day, according to crypto data dashboard Glassnode. See related article: Vitalik Buterin says he used Tornado Cash to […]

USDC, Tether announce support for Ethereum proof-of-stake

Two of the largest stablecoin issuers — Tether and USDC — announced Tuesday that they will support Ethereum’s proof-of-stake (PoS) chain, as Ethereum’s “Merge” looms and crypto miners are banding together against the abandonment of mining.  See related article: Prominent Chinese ETH miner plans proof-of-work fork amid The Merge Fast facts See related article: Ethereum […]

July 2022

Circle’s reserve breakdown shows US$13.58B cash and US$42.12B U.S. Treasurys

Circle Internet Financial, the issuer of USDC, on Thursday released a detailed but unaudited breakdown of the reserves backing the second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization. See related article: Questions over Circle’s USDC reserves linger despite assurances Fast facts The breakdown showed that Circle had US$42.12 billion in U.S. Treasurys and US$13.58 billion in cash as […]

Questions over Circle’s USDC reserves linger despite assurances

Fresh claims that emerged over the weekend about the status of Circle’s USDC reserves cast doubts on the ability of the so-called stablecoin to maintain its peg. In a deep dive, Forkast examined the allegations and reached out to the company for its version of events.

Will Mt. Gox Bitcoin eruption smother hopes of rapid crypto recovery?

Top blockchain and crypto news: Payback time for Mt. Gox investors. USDC issuer strikes back as critics circle. Chinese bank fiasco hits a nerve.

Stablecoins, USDC and the ‘Circle of trust’

Investor confidence in stablecoins has plummeted since the Terra fiasco. Circle’s chief of finance assesses how they’re holding up amid a barrage of “FUD”.

Roger Ver says he will issue statement on default dispute with CoinFLEX

Early Bitcoin adopter and Bitcoin Cash promoter Roger Ver told Forkast he will issue an official statement before Monday responding to allegations he defaulted on a US$47 million loan in USDC from CoinFLEX. See related article: Roger Ver denies defaulting on US$47 mln loan from CoinFLEX Fast facts Ver told Forkast in a phone interview […]

June 2022

Roger Ver denies defaulting on US$47 mln loan from CoinFLEX

Early Bitcoin adopter and Bitcoin Cash promoter Roger Ver has denied defaulting on a US$47 million loan in USDC to beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange CoinFLEX. See related article: CoinFLEX to issue US$47 mln in tokens as it waits for ‘crypto whale’ to pay up Fast facts Ver tweeted overnight in Asia time that rumors of the […]

What is the right approach to regulating stablecoins?

Terra UST’s crash and burn is prompting calls for regulations. But lawmakers shouldn’t paint all stablecoins with the same brush, writes Alan Chiu.

USDC operator Circle introduces new Euro Coin stablecoin

USD Coin (USDC) creator Circle announced on Thursday it will release the Euro Coin (EUROC), a redeemable stablecoin pegged to the euro, on June 30. See related story: US$500 mln in USDC added to TRON DAO USDD reserve Fast facts Ethereum-based EUROC will join Circle’s USDC, which is the world’s second-largest stablecoin with over US$54 […]

Tron bolsters reserves again; Fed decision market wobbles

The USDD reserves sees US$500 million worth of USDC added to it. Meanwhile, the US Federal Reserve’s rate decision has the crypto market bracing for itself.

US$500 mln in USDC added to TRON DAO USDD reserve

TRON DAO announced it has added US$500 million in USDC to its reserve to bolster its algorithmic stablecoin’s dollar parity, but USDD has been off its peg to the greenback for about two days.  See related article: Michael Saylor, MicroStrategy stick to their guns on Bitcoin Fast facts See related article: Bitcoin, Ether bear brunt […]

FTX, OpenSea make the cut to Forbes Fintech 50

Nine cryptocurrency and blockchain companies, including crypto exchange FTX, made it to the 2022 list of the Forbes Fintech 50 released Tuesday, with all nine raising a total of US$6.5 billion in venture capital, according to the business magazine. See related article: FTX.US forays into stock trading Fast facts The latest list features private companies […]

May 2022

Iagon’s Ethereum-Cardano bridge launches for USDC transfers

The world’s second-largest stablecoin USDC and ERC-20 IAG tokens can now be bridged from Ethereum to the Cardano network through Iagon’s cross-chain bridge powered by the Milkomeda sidechain. See related article: Wormhole to bridge Polkadot, Kusama to Ethereum, Solana Fast facts A cross-chain bridge allows for crypto assets of one blockchain to be converted for […]

China’s BSN to launch overseas public chain without crypto support

China’s state-backed infrastructure Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) announced on Tuesday that it is preparing the launch of BSN Spartan on Aug. 31, a new international network for non-cryptocurrency public chains. See related article: Resist the temptation on NFTs, Chinese state-backed developer says Fast facts “We’re not against public chains, but we’re against crypto,” BSN developer […]

Terra was a ‘house of cards’: Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire

Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle, which issues the second-largest stablecoin USDC, claims to have foreseen Terra and algorithmic stablecoin UST’s collapse six months ago because it was “a house of cards.” See related article: Terra shuts down indefinitely after coming back online; LUNA, UST still on life support Fast facts “There were two things that […]

Clearpool launches US$25 mln permissioned liquidity pool with Jane Street, BlockTower Capital

Decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocol Clearpool announced Tuesday the launch of a permissioned liquidity pool in partnership with quantitative trading firm Jane Street and crypto and blockchain investment firm BlockTower Capital. See related article: Nexo and Fidelity Digital Assets expand institutional lending services Fast facts The liquidity pool has been funded with US$25 million worth […]

April 2022

John Legend’s OurSong raises US$7.5 mln to fuel music NFTs

Our Happy Company, cofounded by musician John Legend, has raised US$7.5 million in its seed round, as the company looks to expand its music non-fungible token (NFT) platform OurSong. Watch explainer: What does Music have to do with NFTs? Fast facts The financing round was led by Infinity Ventures Crypto and Animoca Brands, the company […]

Circle raises $400 mln, teams up with BlackRock to develop USDC

Circle, the issuer of the world’s second-largest stablecoin USDC, has raised US$400 million in its latest funding round with major investments from BlackRock and Fidelity Management and Research, as the stablecoin issuer looks to explore possibilities with the traditional financial world. See related article: Circle’s growth outpaces Tether as it doubles valuation Fast facts Circle […]

Why are stablecoins overwhelmingly backed by the US dollar?

Stablecoins are taking the world by storm and it’s the US dollar that outweighs any other fiat-backed cryptocurrency. What are the reasons for the greenback’s dominance?

BNY Mellon to become custodian for USDC reserves

Circle has selected one of America’s oldest banks, BNY Mellon, as the primary custodian for the world’s second-largest stablecoin USDC’s reserves. See related article: USDC to be 100% backed by cash, US Treasuries Fast facts USDC issuer Circle chief Jeremy Allaire had claimed the stablecoin became 100% backed by cash and short-term treasury bills after […]

February 2022

Circle’s growth outpaces Tether as it doubles valuation

Circle’s USDC, the world’s second-largest stablecoin, is gunning for the title of the world’s top stablecoin as it closes in on Tether’s market capitalization after doubling its valuation to US$9 billion in a revised merger deal.  See related article: Stablecoin issuer Circle to go public in US$4.5B SPAC deal Fast facts USDC’s market cap has […]

Will the growing regulatory heat on stablecoins stifle innovation?

As stablecoins face pressure to adopt traditional safeguards, the industry’s efforts to self-regulate should not be overlooked, writes Charlie Martin of Gro.

November 2021

US Senate Banking Committee sends inquiries to stablecoin issuers

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has sent letters to several stablecoin issuers to inquire about their operational features. Fast facts In a Monday tweet, Ron Hammond, director of government relations at the Blockchain Association, said the stablecoin issuers include Coinbase, Gemini, Circle, Paxos, TrustToken, Centre, Binance U.S. and Tether. “This is likely a sign of […]

Circle contributes to $4.3M Series A funding round for yen-backed stablecoin

As Circle expands into Asia as part of a global expansion plan, what does the investment in a yen-back stablecoin mean for the market?

USDC stablecoin issuer Circle sets up regional hub in Singapore, launches Circle Ventures

Circle, the digital payment company that operates the USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin, this week announced it is setting up a regional hub in Singapore and looking to partner with local businesses for its stablecoin Lighthouse Project. Fast facts U.S.-based Circle says its move into Singapore is part of its global expansion plans and the company […]

October 2021

What are stablecoins, and why are some governments so afraid of them?

Stablecoins combine the portability of crypto with the price stability of fiat currencies. But are they all that stable?

August 2021

USDC to be 100% backed by cash, US Treasuries

Circle, issuer of the world’s second-largest stablecoin USDC, has announced plans to be 100% backed by cash and short-term U.S. Treasuries by September. The company’s most recent attestation showed USDC’s US$22.2 billion supply was backed by only 61% “cash and cash equivalents.” Fast facts Circle had indicated earlier in the month that it wishes to […]

NFT trade takes off. Tether’s bankable reserves. Tencent targeted in China.

Top blockchain and crypto news: NFT wave buoys OpenSea. Are dollars and sense a lifeline for Tether? Tencent gets a target on its back.

USDC issuer Circle to become full-reserve digital currency bank

Amid a period of increasing regulatory interest in stablecoins, Circle, the digital payment company that issues USDC, the world’s second-largest stablecoin , has announced plans to become a full-reserve national digital currency bank in the U.S. Fast facts In a company blog post, CEO and co-founder Jeremy Allaire said the company was prepared to operate […]

July 2021

Stablecoins promise much, but can they deliver?

As issuer Circle prepares to list and China sounds the alarm over speculation, the mood among regulators is mixed, despite stablecoins’ clear appeal to investors.

December 2020

Joe Lubin and other prominent crypto leaders decry the STABLE Act

Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin and blockchain investor Alex Tapscott tell Forkast.News that the stablecoin bill aimed at Libra/Diem and Tether could have broader repercussions on the blockchain industry.

Visa hops on USDC’s Eth2 wagon. China flexes DCEP digital currency in biggest test yet. Will US tighten Libra/Diem’s tether?

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: S&P Dow Jones to launch crypto index. Walmart invests big in India’s PhonePe.

Proposed US law would require stablecoins to be 1:1 dollar-backed

Are American lawmakers going after Facebook’s Libra, now called Diem? Controversial Tether may be the real target of new stablecoin-restraining bill.

November 2020

Ethereum 2.0 set for launch. Bitcoin hits record highs as Wall Street chief remains meh. Stellar hosts ARST and BRLT stablecoins.

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: After BitMEX, are more CFTC crackdowns coming soon? China frees OKEx founder, exchange to resume services.

October 2020

Ep. 36 | Bitcoin prices rise on PayPal cryptocurrency news. US wary of CBDC as China enacts digital currency law for DCEP rollout.

Other top crypto and blockchain news: USDC stablecoin coming to Solana blockchain. Investing in KYC/AML in India.

Ep. 35 | Filecoin launch hits miner turbulence. USDC adds Stellar to rely less on Ethereum. Associated Press to publish US elections data on blockchain.

Other top news: OKEx cryptocurrency exchange freezes services amid police investigation. Investors bet $100 million on ‘neobank’ Razorpay in India

June 2020

Ep. 19 | Will PayPal and Venmo offer crypto trading? FC Barcelona kicks off fan token. USDC ditches Ethereum for Algorand.

Other top news: Chainlink embraced by China’s blockchain network. Could Justin Sun’s infamy outshine TRON 4.0? Fintech in Thailand and Singapore.