Fireblocks, Circle link USDC balances across blockchains; CRCL stock jumps 17%

Circle’s Gateway and Circle Payments Network are now available through Fireblocks, giving institutions unified USDC balances across supported chains and fiat payout access in more than 50 countries.

USDC

Summary

Circle has expanded its tie-up with Fireblocks by making Circle Gateway and Circle Payments Network, or CPN, available through Fireblocks’ infrastructure, adding new tools for institutions using USDC in treasury operations and cross-border settlement. The integration lets Fireblocks customers manage a unified USDC balance across supported blockchain networks through Gateway and send payments that convert USDC into local fiat currency through CPN in more than 50 countries. The latest rollout adds operational detail to the companies’ earlier collaboration, which had already centered on embedding Circle Gateway into Fireblocks and building out institutional stablecoin rails. Fireblocks said the services are accessible through its existing transaction controls, approval workflows and audit records, with policy controls including transaction approvals, counterparty lists, sanctions screening and Travel Rule processes. Circle Gateway is designed to reduce the need for institutions to maintain separate USDC pools on different blockchains. Funds can move to supported chains when needed, while incoming USDC can return automatically to the unified balance, helping reduce liquidity fragmentation and the need to hold separate gas tokens for destination networks. CPN extends that setup into payments by connecting USDC transfers with local fiat payouts through supported providers, with the companies saying settlement can take minutes instead of the multi-day timelines common in correspondent banking. Fireblocks said stablecoins made up 69% of all digital asset transaction volume on its platform in the second quarter of 2026, and that USDC became its leading stablecoin earlier this year. The company also said stablecoin transaction volume across the wider market reached $33 trillion in 2025, up 72% year over year. The update builds on a partnership announced in September 2025 and comes after Circle expanded CPN with Managed Payments in April and added Nium to the network in May.

Terms & Concepts
  • Circle Payments Network: A payments network that connects USDC transfers with fiat payout providers for cross-border settlement.
  • Travel Rule: A compliance requirement that certain sender and recipient information accompany digital asset transfers.
  • gas tokens: Tokens used to pay transaction fees on a blockchain network.