USDC 

USDC Price

What is the USDC stablecoin?

USDC (USD Coin) is a centralized, fiat-backed stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the US dollar. Circle launched USDC in September 2018 through the Centre Consortium, a joint venture with Coinbase, and has been the sole issuer since August 2023. Each USDC is redeemable for one US dollar. Target uses: trading settlement, payments, remittances, and programmable-dollar infrastructure for developers. DropsTab classifies USDC under the Stablecoin category.

Who issues USDC?

Circle Internet Group is the sole issuer of USDC. Issuance ran through the Centre Consortium, a joint venture of Circle and Coinbase, from 2018 until Centre's dissolution in August 2023. Coinbase then took a minority equity stake in Circle and shares reserve revenue under the existing arrangement. Circle itself went public on the NYSE under ticker CRCL: the IPO priced at $31.00 per share on June 4, 2025, raising about $1.05 billion at an implied valuation near $8.06 billion.

How does USDC maintain its 1:1 peg to the US dollar?

USDC holds its $1 peg through full reserve backing and 1:1 redemption. Circle mints USDC when a depositor hands over one US dollar and burns tokens when USDC is redeemed for dollars. Guaranteed par redemption anchors the market price to $1, because arbitrage traders buy USDC below par and redeem it at par whenever the peg slips.

What reserves back Circle's USDC?

USDC reserves consist primarily of the Circle Reserve Fund (USDXX), a government money market fund managed by BlackRock that holds mostly short-dated US Treasuries and overnight repurchase agreements, plus cash at major banks. Deloitte & Touche LLP examines the reserves monthly. This structure backs every USDC token with dollar-denominated, short-duration assets.

Are USDT and USDC the same stablecoin?

No. USDT and USDC are separate stablecoins from different issuers: Tether issues USDT, and Circle issues USDC. Both target a 1:1 US dollar peg and rank among the largest stablecoins by circulation. Issuer structure, reserve management, and attestation arrangements differ between the two, so backing and transparency should be evaluated separately for each token.

Is USDC regulated?

Yes. USDC falls under the US GENIUS Act stablecoin framework. Circle applied for a national trust bank charter, First National Digital Currency Bank, N.A., in July 2025. The OCC granted conditional approval on December 12, 2025 and final approval in July 2026, placing Circle among the first issuers on a federal GENIUS-compliance path.

How safe is USDC to hold?

USDC is structured to limit volatility risk: full reserves, monthly Deloitte examinations, and federal charter oversight back the peg. The residual risk is issuer and reserve risk. If reserves became impaired or redemption access failed, the peg would come under pressure, so holders are exposed to Circle's solvency rather than to market price swings.

Does USDC have a maximum supply or vesting schedule?

USDC has no maximum supply and no vesting schedule. New tokens are minted on dollar deposits and burned on redemption, so total supply rises and falls with demand. There are no team, investor, or airdrop allocations, and therefore no unlock calendar. The supply-side risk for holders is redemption pressure: heavy redemptions force Circle to liquidate reserve assets.

Why does USDC's price change if it is pegged to the dollar?

USDC's price movement reflects peg deviation against the reference asset in each pair. Most tracked pairs quote USDC against other stable assets: USDT, USD, or EUR. Movements in those pairs measure how far the peg drifts from parity, and stablecoin-vs-stablecoin pricing stays within a narrow band around $1 under normal market conditions.

Where can USDC be bought and traded?

Per DropsTab data, USDC trades in over 700 markets across more than 70 venues. Centralized venues include Binance, Bybit, OKX, Kraken, and Coinbase, with spot pairs quoted against USDT, USD, and EUR. Decentralized liquidity runs through Uniswap on Ethereum, Base, and Arbitrum, Aerodrome on Base, and Meteora and Raydium on Solana. Seven perpetual futures markets add leveraged exposure. Liquidity depth ranks among the highest of any digital asset.