Many people know the USDC stablecoin, but may not know much about the company behind it: Circle.
Founded in 2013, Circle is a U.S. fintech company that bills itself as the first publicly traded stablecoin company. Its ambition goes beyond issuing stablecoins: it aims to become the next-generation global financial infrastructure.
☞ What does Circle do?
Its core businesses include issuing the USDC and EURC stablecoins, cross-border payment networks, blockchain infrastructure, and tokenized financial assets.
☞ Why has Circle succeeded?
It tapped into huge demand for digital dollars, enabling dollars to be transferred, traded, and settled globally via blockchain.
By the end of the second quarter of 2026, USDC in circulation reached $73.3 billion.
☞What is Circle’s moat?
It’s not technology, but compliance capabilities, reserve transparency, institutional partnerships, and the liquidity network USDC has built across exchanges, wallets, and DeFi.
☞How does Circle make money?
Primarily through interest income earned on USDC reserve assets, which also makes it sensitive to changes in U.S. interest rates.
☞What does the future hold for Circle?
It is evolving from a stablecoin issuer into an infrastructure platform for global payments and on-chain finance.
If Robinhood wants to change how people invest, Circle wants to change how money moves.
That’s also why Circle’s brand visuals continually emphasize openness, connection, and flow.
