USD Coin (USDC): Definition, How It Works in Currency, and Value

Understanding USD Coin (USDC)

USD Coin (USDC) is a stablecoin, a cryptocurrency backed by U.S. dollars or dollar-denominated assets like U.S. Treasury securities. USDC's reserve assets are held in segregated accounts with regulated U.S. financial institutions. You may be wondering about how USDC maintains the 1:1 peg with the U.S. dollar. If you initiate a transaction to buy one USD Coin using fiat currency, then that fiat currency is deposited and stored as one U.S. dollar, and the new USDC is minted. If you sell a USD Coin in exchange for fiat currency, the USDC is burned (sent to a wallet with no access keys) when the fiat money is transferred back to your bank account. USDC is compatible with several blockchains, including:

Ethereum

Algorand

Solana

Stellar

USD Coin is managed by Centre, a consortium co-founded by the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase ( COIN ), and Circle, a financial technology company. Centre aims to change the global financial landscape by connecting every person, merchant, financial service, and currency worldwide.

Advantages and Disadvantages of USD Coin

Low price volatility

Fully backed by U.S.-regulated reserve assets

Can be used as a hedge against inflation

No price appreciation

Mix of reserve assets not fully disclosed

Not immune to U.S. dollar price inflation

Hedge against volatility: Investors exposed to other cryptocurrencies can reduce their portfolios' volatility by strategically buying a stablecoin like USDC. Owning USDC during periods of significant market volatility can help to stabilize a portfolio's value.

Pricing in fiat money: Digital assets listed on cryptocurrency exchanges can be priced in fiat money using a stablecoin like USDC.

Stable price-pegging: The price stability of USDC enables the stablecoin to represent equity ownership or fund investments. USDC can also be used to represent liabilities or debt.

Remittances: USDC can be used to send funds across borders. Recipients can store USDC without using a bank account or being concerned about price volatility.

U.S. dollar exposure: Non-U.S. investors wishing to gain exposure to the U.S. dollar can add USDC to their cryptocurrency investment portfolios.

Hedge against inflation: Non-U.S. investors concerned about inflation of their local currency can hold a stablecoin like USDC to help protect the value of their money.

Global crowdfunding: Startup companies and nonprofit organizations can raise money from investors and donors worldwide by soliciting digital currency. Raising funds in the form of a stablecoin like USDC ensures that the value of the money raised does not fluctuate over time.

Blockchain interconnection: Since USDC is compatible with several autonomous blockchains, USDC can be a way to integrate payment systems and applications across blockchains .

Is Investing in USD Coin Risky?

As a cryptocurrency, USD Coin (USDC) is generally considered risky as an investment. While stablecoins like USDC have less price volatility than other cryptocurrencies, stablecoins may be subject to increased scrutiny by regulatory agencies like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There is a business behind USDC also, so it must function well for the coin to remain pegged to the dollar.

Can I Buy Less Than $1 of USD Coin?

You can buy fractions of USD Coin just like you can divide U.S. dollars into pennies. You can purchase as little as 0.001—equal to one-tenth of a cent—of USD Coin.

The Bottom Line

USD Coin is a stablecoin backed by a reserve of U.S. fiat currency. For each USDC in circulation, there is one dollar held in reserve. However, USDC's price fluctuates many times throughout the day (often by the minute), as much as $0.9993. This isn't much compared to other cryptocurrencies, but it demonstrates that while the coin is relatively stable, it isn't a 1:1 peg 100% of the time—from Sep. 5, 2022, to Aug. 21, 2023, it averaged $0.9998. The coin is also susceptible to external influences—when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, it became apparent that about 8% of USDC reserves were held at the bank, causing the coin to lose its peg.
Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.

Coinbase. " Introducing USD Coin (USDC) - Stablecoin By Coinbase ."

Centre. " Whitepaper ," Pages 10-11.

Circle. " The Power of USDC Brought to Multiple Blockchains ."

Deloitte. " Independent Accountant's Report ."

Coinbase. " USD Coin (USDC) ."

Chainalysis. " Here’s What On-Chain Data Tells Us About Crypto’s Reaction To the Demise of Silicon Valley Bank And Its Impact on USDC ."

Bridging the gap between fiat currency and cryptocurrency, stablecoins aim to achieve stable price valuation using different working mechanisms. Basecoin, also known as Basis, was a cryptocurrency whose protocol was designed to keep its price stable. Tether (USDT) is a stablecoin, a cryptocurrency pegged to and backed by fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is the digital form of a country's fiat currency, which is regulated by its central bank. An altcoin is a cryptocurrency or token that is not Bitcoin (BTC). Etherum (ETH) is an altcoin. Learn about altcoins and what makes them different. Terra refers to an open-source blockchain protocol for stablecoins and apps and is one of two main cryptocurrency tokens under this protocol.