circle

Stablecoins have surged since the U.S. election amid economic shifts and U.S. Treasury strategy
The combined market capitalization of the five biggest stablecoins passed $200 billion for the first time after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pledged on Friday to use the digital assets to help maintain the greenback as the world's reserve currency.
The market cap of the coins, whose value is pegged to a real-world equivalent such as the U.S. dollar, climbed as high as $205 billion, Glassnode data shows. Demand was buoyed by investors seeking relief from sliding cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH).
Since President Donald Trump won the U.S. election, the stablecoin market cap has grown by $40 billion. With both cryptocurrencies and U.S. equities struggling in recent weeks, stablecoins have emerged as the clear winners.
Market leader Tether's USDT has maintained a market cap of around $140 billion since December, while second-placed USDC, issued by Circle, is nearing $60 billion — an increase of $25 billion since the election.
At the Digital Asset Summit on Friday, Bessent said, "We are going to keep the U.S. the dominant reserve currency, and we will use stablecoins to do it."
Bessent's remarks highlight concerns over macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, which could lead to a decline in foreign demand for U.S. debt, pushing treasury yields higher. Over the past year, Japan and China, the two largest holders of U.S. Treasuries, have reduced their holdings.
For the dollar to maintain its status as the world’s reserve currency, there must be consistent demand for U.S. debt. The administration identified stablecoins as an ideal partner in this strategy.
By holding U.S. debt as reserves, stablecoins can help lower Treasury yields while simultaneously expanding the global reach and dominance of the dollar. Stablecoins need to have dollars available to repay investors looking to cash out. Tether is already one of the largest holders of three-month U.S. Treasuries.

#Stablecoins #bitcoin #Tether #USDC #Circle
$USDC

Paolo Ardoino, the face of Tether – the largest stablecoin company in the world, just made his first trip to the US and received a warm welcome at the Cantor Fitzgerald Global Technology Conference. However, behind that welcome is a tumultuous story: from strict government investigations to strategic moves making Tether one of the most important players in the global financial ecosystem.

The company #Circle has released an updated version of the Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP V2). It allows transfers of $USDC between blockchains in seconds instead of 13-19 minutes. Among the new features are Fast Transfer for instant transactions, Standard Transfer for working at the native blockchain speed, and Hooks for automating operations.

CCTP V2 enables nearly instant USDC transfers between blockchains with new feature, reducing blockchain transaction times from minutes to seconds.
Circle has launched on Tuesday the upgraded version of its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP V2), a tool that facilitates USDC transfers across blockchains. The company said that the upgrade significantly cuts down transaction times to seconds from the typical 13-19 minutes on Ethereum and its Layer 2 networks.
CCTP, introduced in 2023, is designed to move digital assets across blockchains without relying on traditional liquidity pools and third-party liquidity providers. Since its debut, the protocol has handled over $36 billion in transaction volume, according to Circle.
The upgraded version offers a Fast Transfer feature, which enables near-instant transfers between supported networks, the press release said. Standard Transfer, which operates at a blockchain’s native settlement speed, remains available.
Another new feature, called Hooks, allows developers to program automatic actions such as asset swaps or treasury management on the receiving blockchain. This reduces manual processing and enhances efficiency for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.
The upgraded version went live on Ethereum, Avalanche and Base, with more blockchain integrations planned later this year, the firm said. Several platforms, including CCTP.Money, Interport, LI.FI, Mayan, Socket and Wormhole already integrated the protocol.
Circle is the issuer of USDC, the second largest stablecoin in the crypto market with a circulating supply of $58 billion. Pegged to the U.S. dollar, USDC is popular in crypto trading, DeFi and increasingly used as payments, remittances and real-world asset settlements among traditional finance firms.
#USDCstablecoin #Circle #blockchain
$USDC

Today, Binance CEO @Richard Teng and Circle CEO @Jeremy Allaire appeared together on stage at Abu Dhabi Finance Week to announce a groundbreaking new strategic partnership in the cryptocurrency market.

CEO of Binance & Circle
Through this partnership, #Binanace will provide USDC more widely across its entire product and service suite, ensuring that over 240 million global users can access and use USDC seamlessly for trading, savings, and payment applications.

Giancarlo Devasini, the billionaire behind Tether, finds himself in a fierce battle for survival. From his residence in Lugano, Switzerland, he watches as Tether—the world’s largest stablecoin issuer—faces increasing regulatory scrutiny, political pressure, and a strategic assault from rival Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle.
This isn’t just a corporate dispute—it’s a fight over who will control the future of the $3 trillion stablecoin market. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Devasini accused Circle of lobbying politicians to ban Tether’s offshore-issued tokens, which are currently used in 80% of cryptocurrency transactions.
Regulators Turn Up the Heat on Tether
Circle has long pushed for stricter stablecoin regulations, recognizing that Tether operates outside U.S. jurisdiction. Allaire has testified before Congress multiple times, warning lawmakers about the risks of unregulated stablecoins.
A top Circle executive even claimed that Tether’s tokens have been used in terrorist financing, increasing pressure on the U.S. Justice and Treasury Departments to investigate. "We want to make sure that USDC is the preferred digital dollar," Allaire said in a previous interview.
Despite these accusations, Tether remains highly profitable. In 2024 alone, the company earned $13 billion—more than double BlackRock’s earnings. Tether backs its USDT stablecoin with a mix of U.S. Treasuries, Bitcoin, gold, and commercial loans. However, critics argue that Tether remains a financial black box, with less transparency than Circle, which holds its reserves in U.S. regulated institutions like Bank of New York Mellon.
Circle Wins Support from Lawmakers and Banks
Allaire’s strategy has been clear: align Circle with U.S. financial institutions and policymakers while portraying Tether as a national security risk. This approach has paid off.
In December 2023, the European Union banned offshore stablecoins, directly impacting Tether.In April 2024, the U.S. Treasury accused Tether of funding Russian war efforts.Shortly after, a public campaign branded Tether as the “next FTX”, with billboards in Washington D.C. and Times Square stating, “Tethered to Corruption.”
Devasini believes Circle is orchestrating these attacks, while Tether CTO Paolo Ardoino has accused Circle’s allies of funding a smear campaign. Meanwhile, Circle continues lobbying Congress for stricter regulations, with executives advocating for the U.S. government to investigate Tether’s involvement in “malign activities.”
The U.S. Treasury even considered sanctioning Tether, which would effectively cut it off from the U.S. financial system. While that didn’t happen, in April 2024, lawmakers introduced a bill seeking to ban unregulated stablecoins. Even pro-crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis has publicly stated: "I would choose Circle over Tether."
Tether’s Survival Hinges on Trump Administration’s Support
Despite mounting pressure, Tether is not backing down. Devasini has secured a key ally: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a former Wall Street executive whose firm, Cantor Fitzgerald, manages a large portion of Tether’s reserves.
April 2024: Cantor invested directly in Tether’s holding company, a deal personally negotiated by Lutnick.Early 2025: Donald Trump issued an executive order supporting “lawful and legitimate” dollar-backed stablecoins, forming a presidential crypto working group that includes Lutnick.
However, even with the Trump administration’s backing, Tether is losing ground. Since mid-December 2024, Tether’s market growth has slowed, especially after Coinbase and other exchanges delisted USDT in the EU.
Meanwhile, Circle continues to expand rapidly. In February 2025, USDC’s supply rebounded to pre-Silicon Valley Bank collapse levels, and Circle recently moved its headquarters to the World Trade Center, solidifying its presence in the traditional finance sector.
As Devasini remains in Lugano, he has reportedly been researching extradition cases, including that of Kim Dotcom, fearing potential legal troubles in the U.S.
With both companies locked in an intense battle, the future of stablecoins hangs in the balance. Will Tether withstand the regulatory storm, or will Circle cement its dominance in the global crypto economy?
The post appeared first on CryptosNewss.com

#Tether #Circle

The blockchain and social networking landscapes are undergoing a radical transformation with Lens Labs' recent groundbreaking funding achievement. The company has successfully closed a strategic investment round totaling $31 million, signaling a pivotal moment for decentralized social experiences.
Leading the investment charge is Lightspeed Faction, accompanied by a prestigious consortium of investors including Avail, Circle, Consensys, DFG, Fabric Ventures, and Wintermute Ventures. The round also attracted notable angel investors such as Rune Christensen, Aleksander Larsen, and Illia Polosukhin, underscoring the significant industry interest in Lens Labs' vision.
At its core, Lens represents a revolutionary approach to merging social networking with decentralized finance, a concept known as SocialFi. This innovative model empowers users to monetize their social interactions, participate in platform governance, and create sustainable economic ecosystems directly through blockchain technology.
The brainchild of Stani Kulechov, Lens Labs is developing a high-performance Layer 2 network designed to address critical limitations in existing blockchain platforms. Kulechov emphasizes their commitment to creating a platform that transcends current technological barriers, offering developers and users an unprecedented level of flexibility and engagement.
What sets Lens apart is its comprehensive approach to user experience. The platform introduces groundbreaking features like gasless and signless transactions, which dramatically simplify user onboarding. By providing modular social tools that can be seamlessly integrated into various applications, Lens is creating a plug-and-play ecosystem for developers.
The upcoming Lens V3 protocol represents a significant leap forward in decentralized social networking. With its EVM-compatible validium chain and plans to transition to a zkSync-based Volition network, the platform promises enhanced scalability, security, and data integrity.
Samuel Harrison from Lightspeed Faction provides crucial context, highlighting the fundamental issues with existing Web2 social platforms. He argues that Lens offers a transformative alternative, prioritizing user transparency, ownership, and novel monetization opportunities that traditional platforms have failed to deliver.
Strategic partnerships with industry leaders like Uniswap, Chainlink, and Circle further validate Lens Labs' approach. These collaborations ensure that developers will have access to a robust and interconnected ecosystem of tools and integrations.
The mainnet launch, scheduled for early 2025, will leverage cutting-edge technologies from zkSync and Avail. This technical foundation promises to deliver a user experience that rivals, and potentially surpasses, traditional Web2 platforms while maintaining the core principles of decentralization.
As part of Avara, a web3 technology company with a proven track record of innovation, Lens Labs is positioning itself at the forefront of a digital revolution. The company's previous successes, including the Aave Protocol and GHO stablecoin, provide a strong foundation for this ambitious SocialFi initiative.
The $31 million funding round is more than just a financial milestone; it represents a significant vote of confidence in the potential of decentralized social networks. By offering users unprecedented control over their digital interactions and creating new economic opportunities, Lens Labs is not just building a platform—it's reimagining the future of online social experiences.
For those interested in the convergence of blockchain, social networking, and decentralized finance, Lens Labs offers a glimpse into a more transparent, user-centric digital future. The journey towards a truly decentralized social ecosystem is just beginning, and Lens is leading the way.

#lens #LensProtocol #socialfi #Avail #Circle