Circle | Crypto

Washington just gave one of the world's largest digital currencies a more official place in the US financial system. On July 10, Circle won final approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to open a national trust bank under federal supervision. Circle called it a major step for USDC, as the approval […] The post Circle became a federal trust bank – now lenders warn stablecoins is projected to drain $500 billion appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Circle incurred $1.4 billion in distribution costs connected to Coinbase in 2025, up from $924.5 million the year before, according to the company's own 10-K filing. Those distribution costs equaled roughly 51% of its total 2025 revenue and reserve income. USDC circulation grew 72% year over year to $75.3 billion in the fourth quarter, and […] The post USDC’s 72% surge exposed the expensive truth behind Circle’s stablecoin dominance appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest added $13.9 million worth of Circle shares on Tuesday, extending its July buying spree to 725,517 shares amid a steep stock decline. Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest is doubling down on its bet on USDC issuer Circle even as the company’s stock remains under pressure. ARK bought another 220,000 shares of Circle Internet Group (CRCL) across three of its actively managed exchange-traded funds on Tuesday, according to the company’s daily trade disclosure reviewed by Cointelegraph. Based on Circle’s Tuesday closing price of $63.22 on the New York Stock Exchange, ARK’s latest purchase was worth about $13.9 million. Read more

The companies will explore using USDC for JCB’s cross-border treasury operations and merchant payments in Japan as regulated stablecoin adoption gains momentum. Japan’s largest domestic payment network, JCB, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Circle to explore using USDC for cross-border payments and merchant transactions. Under the memorandum, the companies will initially explore using USDC for JCB’s internal cross-border fund transfers through a proof of concept, while also evaluating stablecoin payments at merchants in Japan for international visitors. The companies said they will also assess technologies that support interoperability across multiple blockchain networks. The agreement builds on a separate initiative JCB launched in January with Digital Garage and Resona Holdings to test stablecoin payments at physical stores in Japan. That project focuses on identifying technical and operational challenges to bringing stablecoin payments to domestic merchants. Read more

JCB and Circle will explore using USDC for cross-border payments and merchant transactions as Japan ramps up efforts to bring stablecoins into everyday commerce.

Japanese investment bank Mizuho reiterated its neutral rating on Circle, saying OCC approval for a national trust bank doesn't address slowing USDC growth or rising competition.

Circle National Trust starts with custody for Circle and affiliates, while outside institutional custody and USDC reserve management remain future possibilities. The post Circle can now open a US trust bank but cannot take ordinary deposits or make loans appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Circle announces it received final OCC approval for a national trust bank that will initially serve the company and affiliates, with possible future custody services for institutional clients. USDC stablecoin issuer Circle on Friday announced it received final approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish First National Digital Currency Bank (FNDCB), a national trust bank that will operate under the name Circle National Trust. “OCC approval to establish Circle National Trust marks a defining step in bringing blockchain technology and digital assets into the core of the US financial system,” Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire said. The approval comes after Circle applied for the charter in June 2025, allowing it to establish a federally regulated trust institution and expand its digital asset custody infrastructure. Read more

Standard Chartered and Circle launch bank-led USDC minting and redemption for institutions, starting in Dubai’s DIFC with planned global expansion. Standard Chartered and USDC issuer Circle have developed a system that lets institutional clients mint and redeem the USDC stablecoin through a bank-led onboarding process. Standard Chartered said Thursday it is the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) to offer such services for USDC, bringing stablecoin access into the same risk, compliance and governance frameworks used in traditional banking. Clients will be able to mint and redeem the US dollar-backed stablecoin directly through StanChart's platform instead of opening separate accounts with Circle. “By embedding USDC access directly within Standard Chartered’s institutional offering, Standard Chartered will bring together banking, custody, and digital asset services within one integrated offering,” the announcement said. The initial rollout will be through the Dubai International Financial Centre (...

Allaire says the stablecoin fight will hinge on liquidity, integrations and regulated usage once OUSD goes live. The post Circle CEO says Open USD must break USDC’s network effect before its 140 backers matter appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bernstein said OUSD could become the strongest new challenger to the Circle-Tether duopoly, while flagging unresolved questions around governance, operations and revenue sharing. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire argued that USDC's decade-long network of integrations, liquidity and regulatory infrastructure gives it a structural advantage over new stablecoin entrants, while challenging key elements of Open USD's proposed business model. In a Wednesday X post, Allaire described stablecoin networks as platform businesses driven by network effects, saying sustained investment in integrations, liquidity, regulatory approvals, banking relationships and reserve management creates competitive advantages that are difficult to replicate. He also questioned whether permanently offering free, unlimited minting and redemption would remain sustainable at scale and said returning nearly all reserve income to partners risks “starving an infrastructure.” Read more

Coinbase and Circle have posted steeper losses than Oracle, Netflix and Salesforce, highlighting the widening gap between crypto equities and the broader market. A broad selloff in technology stocks has weighed even more heavily on crypto-focused companies, highlighting a growing divergence between digital asset equities and the broader US stock market. Shares of Coinbase (COIN) and Circle (CRCL) have fallen 69% and 72%, respectively, from their all-time highs. Those declines exceed the drawdowns seen in several major technology companies, including Oracle (ORCL), Salesforce (CRM), Netflix (NFLX) and Palantir (PLTR), which are down between 48% and 57% from their peaks, according to data from The Kobeissi Letter. By comparison, the large-cap S&P 500 Index has retreated just 3.5% from its recent high. Read more

Ripple and SBI announced the official launch of RLUSD in Japan on June 24, following JFSA approval, with the stablecoin available to institutional and retail users through SBI VC Trade. Ripple categorized RLUSD under Japan's Payment Services Act as a new type of electronic payment instrument for foreign-issued stablecoins, the first time the company has […] The post Ripple got RLUSD into Japan, now the stablecoin race begins as Circle and Nomura join appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Circle and Nomura are reportedly partnering to enable stablecoin-based foreign exchange settlement for Japanese companies as the country's regulated blockchain-based financial infrastructure expands. Stablecoin issuer Circle and Japan's largest investment bank Nomura have reportedly partnered to enable instant foreign exchange settlement for Japanese companies as early as 2027. The service would enable companies to convert yen into dollar-denominated stablecoins for cross-border transactions and instant settlement, reducing delays caused by banking hours and time zone differences, Nikkei reported on Thursday. The partnership would bring one of the world's largest dollar stablecoins into Japan's corporate foreign exchange market, expanding the use of stablecoins for business-to-business cross-border settlement. Read more

cirBTC gives Circle a BTC wrapper, but the harder test is whether custody, reserves, liquidity, and redemption controls can win institutional use. The post Circle wants wrapped Bitcoin to look bank grade before institutions trust it as collateral appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Circle unveiled cirBTC, a token backed 1:1 by the world's largest cryptocurrency, to allow traders to use their bitcoin wealth in DeFi protocols.

The $12.6 million in USDC was likely frozen in connection with an ongoing but unrelated civil court case, according to onchain sleuth ZachXBT. Stablecoin issuer Circle froze $12.6 million in USDC dollar-pegged tokens linked to privacy protocol Zama’s confidential USDC smart contract on Saturday, according to onchain sleuth ZachXBT. The smart contract is “publicly labeled” on block explorers and the privacy protocol’s technical documentation, ZachXBT said.  The exact reason for the freeze is “unclear,” he said, adding that wallets linked to the Overnight Finance decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol deposited $12.4 million into the Zama protocol on May 11, 2026. He said: Read more

President Donald Trump has pushed the Federal Reserve to revisit one of the most contested gateways in US finance, escalating a fight over whether crypto and fintech firms should be allowed to connect directly to the central bank’s payment system. On May 19, Trump signed an executive order directing the Fed to evaluate its policies […] The post Trump order puts Kraken, Ripple, Coinbase and Circle in line for Fed payment rails appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The revenue share deal could shift an estimated $160 million in revenue from Coinbase and Circle into Hyperliquid's ecosystem, Compass Point analysts said.

Coinbase and Circle's commitment to Hyperliquid's AQAv2 upgrade sent HYPE up to roughly $45 on May 14, a deal that makes USDC the platform's aligned quote asset and directs the vast majority of reserve-yield revenue back to the protocol. The rally reflected traders reading the announcement as institutional validation of the protocol-aligned stablecoin model pioneered […] The post HYPE jumps as Coinbase and Circle back Hyperliquid’s stablecoin model appeared first on CryptoSlate.