What is Circle building for? Its quest to find a product market fit.

JimmyGrant
3 min readDec 1, 2023

In the dynamic world of cryptocurrency, Circle embarks on a quest — to find the elusive product-market fit. The narrative unfolds with Circle’s innovative strategies, revolving around its CCTP and Native USDC expansions.

As the story unravels, a notable observation emerges: USDC, despite its transparency advantages over USDT, witnesses a decline in market cap. In contrast, USDT’s market cap surges, primarily driven by its organic adoption through Ethereum and Tron chains. The allure of Tron lies in its provision of cost-effective transactions for USDT, triggering exponential growth in stablecoin supply on the Tron blockchain.

USDT supply on Tron and Ethereum

USDT adaption on Tron is organic and driven by demand without any formal push by Tether or Tron.

While USDC endeavors to replicate the organic growth trajectory of USDT, it faces setbacks. The peak in USDC market supply, following the Luna crash in June ’22, marks a turning point as its market share dwindles thereafter.

USDC for DeFi:

By collaborating with DeFi native protocols like Maker and becoming the primary support for the DAI peg via the Peg Stability Module, USDC has emerged as a key factor in DAI’s ability to maintain its peg to 1 USD. In the course of these developments, Circle has also committed to sharing additional yield with Maker for the hundreds of millions of USDC that the Maker protocol holds. Overall, USDC has proven to be a valuable asset for DAI, and Circle has established itself as a pro-DeFi stablecoin.

The symbiotic relationship between Circle and Maker underscores the integral role of USDC as a linchpin for DAI’s stability. Circle’s proactive approach in sharing additional yield demonstrates a commitment to fostering a mutually beneficial environment within the DeFi space.

In the latest chapter of Circle’s saga, the focus shifts to the development of CCTP and the launch of native USDC on numerous Ethereum Layer 1s and potential Layer 2s. This signals Circle’s unwavering commitment to weaving a robust DeFi ecosystem across multiple chains. The vision extends beyond existing limitations, aiming to bridge assets seamlessly across diverse chains — a transformation set to redefine DeFi.

Bridges vs Circle’s CCTP:

The storyline pivots to a comparison between traditional bridges and Circle’s CCTP. The narrative accentuates a crucial distinction — the ability of CCTP to cultivate trust at scale. Unlike bridges, which have been susceptible to major DeFi hacks, Circle leverages its substantial USDC supply to manage transactions at a scale that surpasses conventional limits. The promise lies in unifying DeFi liquidity on an unprecedented scale, positioning Circle as a potential cross-bridge leader across essential chains.

Circle’s Native USDCs:

As the tale unfolds further, Circle’s Native USDC initiative takes center stage. Burning the midnight oil, Circle navigates the complexities of launching its native USDC on significant chains. A recent debut on Noble gives a boost to the DyDx ecosystem, with ongoing tests on the Solana testnet signaling Circle’s relentless pursuit of interoperability. The narrative concludes by emphasizing how native USDC on multiple chains breaks the age-old curse of blockchains lacking a cohesive communication layer.

In this evolving narrative, Circle’s journey becomes a compelling saga of adaptation, challenges, and groundbreaking innovations — a testament to its pivotal role in shaping the future of decentralized finance.

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JimmyGrant
JimmyGrant

Written by JimmyGrant

Mostly talking about Defi, Stablecoins, Crypto Markets and Macro. Also interested in cooking, movies and people.