$USDC USD Coin (USDC)

USDC is a leading regulated stablecoin, pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar and backed by cash/short-term Treasuries. Issued by Circle (recently IPO’d at a $6.9B valuation), it operates across 15+ blockchains, enabling low-cost payments, DeFi collateral, and remittances.

2024 Highlights:

Market Cap: Surged to $61B, driven by institutional demand and spot ETF collateral .

Transparency: Monthly attestations (Deloitte) and MiCA compliance bolster trust vs. opaque rivals .

Utility: Visa, BlackRock, and Stripe integrate USDC for instant settlements and treasury management .

Post-IPO Growth: Circle’s public listing accelerates global expansion and regulatory partnerships .

Despite brief depegs during banking crises, USDC’s resilience and compliance make it the preferred stablecoin for TradFi-crypto integration.