As a seasoned analyst with over two decades of experience in the financial industry, I’ve seen numerous players adapt to market dynamics and competition. In the case of Circle and its USD Coin (USDC), the recent fee adjustments seem like a strategic move to maintain profitability amid increased demand from institutions.
For the second time within the past year, the company responsible for minting stablecoins, Circle, has increased the cost of converting its US Dollar Coin (USDC) back into traditional US dollars.
As per a Bloomberg report published on October 29th, I’ve found that our company has been charging fees for daily redemptions amounting to at least $2 million, starting from September onwards. This is the perspective I gather from my analysis.
Beginning in February, Circle implemented fees for redemption transactions surpassing $15 million using the Circle Mint service.
The starting fee for transactions is 0.03%, and it can go up to 0.1% for withdrawals exceeding $15 million. This change mainly impacts institutional investors and frequent traders with high volumes. It appears that the purpose of this adjustment is to manage the growing need for liquidity as more institutions explore digital assets. (Sources remain unnamed.)
Traders have the option, free of charge, to exchange their USDC into cash, but it may take up to two days for the funds to be transferred.
In response to increasing competition within the stablecoin sector, Circle has decided to press forward with its initial public offering (IPO) plans and aims to establish its new headquarters on Wall Street by 2025. The company submitted an IPO application in January, awaiting approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Circles strategy for making USDC a regulated substitute to the digital U.S. dollar involves expansion into international markets. The organization declared in September the incorporation of its stablecoin with the national banking systems of Brazil and Mexico, allowing businesses within these nations to obtain USDC instantly via local banks.
Over the last two years, US regulatory actions against cryptocurrency companies, particularly following the fall of FTX, have led to a decrease in Circle’s market share.
According to data from DefiLlama, USDC has a market capitalization of $34 billion at the time of writing for a total market share of less than 20%. Meanwhile, its biggest competitor, Tether (USDT), boasts a market capitalization of $120 billion, with a nearly 70% market share. Tether applies a 0.1% fee for minting or redeeming USDT transactions exceeding $100,000.
BlackRock and Robinhood are also eyeing the stablecoin market. While the asset manager is planning to use its tokenized fund token BUIDL as collateral for derivatives trading, the fintech is exploring a stablecoin under the European Union regulatory framework.
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2024-10-30 00:27