USDC Price Today

The current real-time USD Coin price is $1.00 . USDC price has plummeted by 0.04% in the last day and decreased by 0.03% in the last seven days. It’s important to note that the current USD Coin market capitalization is $33,946,791,819. The maximum supply is coins, with a circulating supply of 33,951,831,385.60. USDC is ranked #6 in terms of market cap.

USDC In A Nutshell

USD Coin, commonly called USDC, is a dollar-pegged stablecoin created by payments technology company Circle. The company launched USDC in 2018 with just 127 million USDC tokens in circulation, a fraction of today's supply. 

Tether's primary role is as a store of value and transactional cryptocurrency. As Circle pegged USDC to the dollar (the most traded currency worldwide), the asset should be relatively stable and non-volatile compared to other cryptocurrencies. 

Although USDC is commonly used as a store of value, it's subject to USD inflation. If USD loses value, USDC will also. As such, the stablecoin is typically used by those with faith in the US Dollar. Learn more about USDC and how much it costs to send USDC.

How USDC Works – The Basics

USDC is an ERC-20 token built on the Ethereum network. As such, it benefits from its parent network's immense decentralization, security, and transparency. However, USDC suffers regarding trading fees and settlement time, as assets built on Ethereum pay high transaction fees, and it can take up to an hour for USDC to transfer. 

While Etherueum USDC is the most popular version of the stablecoin, it's also available on 16 other crypto networks, including Solana, Polkadot, Avalanche, Base, Algorand, Near, and Arbitrum. That said, the circulating supply of USDC on alternative networks is low, with only seven networks boasting a supply of over 250 million USDC.

To maintain its peg and ensure that all USDC holders can withdraw their assets without issue, Circle created its Reserve Fund, which contains a mixture of cash, US government bonds, and US Treasury repurchase agreements. The fund is over-collateralized, containing reserves totaling $33.8 billion, while $33.6 billion worth of USDC is circulating. 

USDC Circulating Supply

The circulating supply of USDC is tied directly to the number of tokens issued and the asset's market cap. Users can buy USDC for $1 and redeem USDC for the same price. As such, Circle must maintain a 1:1 reserve to prevent large-scale withdrawal issues.

According to Circle, 33.6 billion USDC tokens are circulating, but this figure will rise or fall based on the number of USDC purchases and redemptions. 

Why is USDC Unique?

On the surface, USDC is similar to other dollar-pegged stablecoins. However, when we look deeper, several interesting factors emerge. 

• Transparency – One of the most significant advantages of USDC over other stablecoins is its transparency. The Circle Reserve Fund is SEC-registered, and Circle discloses its USDC reserve holdings weekly. As such, USDC holders can feel assured that their tokens are backed 1:1. 
• Safety – Many crypto enthusiasts consider USDC to be the safest stablecoin along with DAI, a volatility-resistant lending stablecoin asset. It is the second most traded stablecoin and has a solid track record. Unlike USDT, it has had no issues with transparency. However, USDC has been subject to several de-pegging incidents, where the asset's value falls below $1. 
• Stellar Track Record – Contrasting USDT and some other stablecoins, USDC has never been investigated for its operations, indicating a higher level of trust than other assets. 

De-Pegging Incidents 

Although USDC is viewed as one of the safest stablecoins on the market, it has de-pegged from the dollar several times. Most notably, USDC fell to around $0.87 following the collapse of  Silicon Valley Bank. USDC also de-pegged in 2024, dropping to $0.74 following a market-wide sell-off. 

Where Can I Buy USDC?

USDC is the second largest stablecoin, behind USDT. As such, it's widely used as a store of value and transactional currency, meaning most large exchanges support it, although support is more sparse than USDT. That said, you can buy USDC from some of the best crypto exchanges, like Bybit, or from a decentralized exchange (DEX).