• Stablecoin market shifts as USDC’s value surges 72%, surpassing Tether’s limited 32% rise.
• MiCA compliance boosts USDC’s trust, driving institutional and payment network adoption.
• Circle’s CCTP strengthens USDC’s role across blockchains as stablecoin competition heats up.

The stablecoin market is changing quickly, with the USDC of Circle surpassing the USDT of Tether in both on-chain activity and market capitalization. According to the report, the influx can be supported by improved regulatory clarity and expanding institutional crypto adoption. Investors have turned to more stablecoins with an emphasis on transparency, compliance, and credibility within regulated markets.

According to analysts managed by the managing director, Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, the market capitalization of USDC has shot up by an unprecedented 72% between January and now to be in the range of $74 billion. During the same period, Tether USDT increased by 32%. The gap indicates a structural transition to regulatory-resilient and institutional-trust stablecoins.

The transparent reserve management, the audit of the USDC undertaken publicly, and the compliance with the regulatory framework have ensured that it has become appealing to business institutions as well as payment providers. 

MiCA and Genius Act fuel USDC adoption

The compliance of Circle with the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation in Europe has played a significant role in the success of this company. The analysts have reported that the MiCA compliance will guarantee the confidence of the investors and that the USDC will be superior to other, less transparent competitors.

Following the implementation of MiCA in July 2024, the activity and transaction rate of USDC on-chain have increased significantly. Analysts said that the Genius Act of the United States provided the token even more momentum by encouraging compliant digital assets in financial institutions. These frameworks have provided a safer situation for institutional adoption of stablecoins.

Tether has been hampered by the lack of authorization of MiCA. The rollout of the regulation caused several European exchanges to delist the USDT after the regulation. This realized the ability of USDC to have a competitive advantage with new integrations with Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe. Such alliances allow real-time blockchain-facilitated settlements and merchant payments to put stablecoins more firmly in the field of traditional finance.

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Stablecoin strengthens with Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol

USDC is also increasing its platforms in large blockchains, such as Solana and Base, which are currently experiencing a resurgence of decentralized finance. USDC has gained further strength after the introduction of Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) by Circle. The protocol allows users to move funds between blockchains safely and without using custodial bridges, enhancing operational risk and improving the performance of transactions.

Although USDC has been increasing its dominance in regulated markets, Tether is the most popular stablecoin in emerging markets. USDT remains the primary trading pair available in centralized exchanges, especially in areas that have fewer regulatory limits. 

Nevertheless, according to JPMorgan, such a scenario could weaken the Tether leadership in case a more transparent and compliance-driven model of USDC turns out to be an industry standard.

Tether will deploy USAT, a new stablecoin completely within the OECD system and regulations, by the end of 2025. The new token, as well as other similar compliant stablecoins to follow, will create additional competition in the market, which analysts anticipate. Analysts conclude that the growth of stablecoins by U.S. issuers will be a zero-sum game without a considerable expansion of the crypto market.

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