$USDC

USD Coin (USDC) is a fiat-backed stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar. Launched in September 2018 by the Centre Consortium (formed by Circle and Coinbase), each USDC can be redeemed for one U.S. dollar, making it a reliable medium of exchange and store of value within the crypto ecosystem .

To ensure its dollar peg, USDC’s reserves consist of fully reserved U.S. dollars and short-term U.S. Treasury instruments held in regulated financial institutions. These reserves are subject to monthly attestations by Grant Thornton LLP—an independent accounting firm—which publish statements confirming that the amount of assets held matches or exceeds the circulating supply of USDC  .

Originally an Ethereum ERC-20 token, USDC has expanded across multiple blockchains—including Algorand, Solana, Stellar, Tron, Hedera, Avalanche, and Flow—enabling fast, low-cost transfers and widespread DeFi integration. Major payment networks like Visa have also enabled settlement in USDC, bridging traditional finance and crypto rails .

Today, USDC ranks among the top stablecoins by market capitalization—hovering around $62 billion—and serves as a cornerstone for trading, remittances, DeFi lending, yield generation, and cross-border payments. Its regulatory oversight, transparent reserve management, and broad interoperability make it a key building block for both retail and institutional users seeking dollar-equivalent stability in the digital asset space