The utility of USDC mirrors that of traditional fiat dollars—offering stability, accessibility, and global reach. As a regulated, dollar-backed stablecoin, USDC has evolved into a foundational layer for digital finance. Today, its primary applications span global access to dollars, digital asset markets, cross-border payments, and humanitarian aid. These use cases reflect a growing demand for fast, low-cost, and transparent financial solutions that bridge traditional and decentralized economies.
Global Access to Dollars
The U.S. dollar remains the world’s dominant currency for trade and savings. Outside the U.S., over 60% of all $100 bills circulate globally, and the dollar accounts for more than 90% of trade invoicing in Latin America, 74% in the Asia-Pacific region, and 79% elsewhere. This widespread demand has created fertile ground for USDC, which offers digital dollar access without the friction of traditional banking.
USDC’s borderless nature allows individuals and businesses in emerging markets to store value, hedge against inflation, and transact internationally—all with near-instant settlement and minimal fees.
👉 Discover how digital dollars are reshaping financial access worldwide.
Nubank: Empowering Latin America with USDC
Nubank, the world’s largest digital bank outside Asia, serves over 105 million customers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. Known for its mission to "fight complexity," Nubank leverages data and technology to deliver accessible financial services.
In May 2024, Nubank partnered with Circle to integrate USDC into its ecosystem. Users can now buy, hold, and transfer USDC directly within their Nubank accounts—enabling instant cross-border transactions and everyday financial use.
- 30% of Nubank’s crypto users hold USDC—the third most popular digital asset.
- Over 50% of new crypto buyers choose USDC as their first asset.
- USDC holdings among customers grew 10x in 2024.
“USDC will be a cornerstone of our strategy to empower customers with innovative financial solutions. Its stability and global reach make it ideal for building a more inclusive financial future.”
— Thomaz Fortes, GM of Crypto at Nubank
Lemon: Bridging Traditional Finance and Crypto in Latin America
Lemon operates across Argentina, Peru, and Brazil, offering a dual wallet that seamlessly converts between local currencies and digital assets like USDC. The platform also provides DeFi-powered yield on crypto holdings and a Visa card with Bitcoin cashback.
With over 3 million users, Lemon has seen a 61% increase in USDC holdings over the past year.
- $137M worth of USDC held by customers.
- 21% growth in USDC holders.
“The rising demand for digital dollars highlights the importance of stablecoins. We’re enabling Latin Americans to manage funds freely and without barriers.”
— Maximiliano Raimondi, CFO of Lemon
Chipper Cash: Advancing Financial Inclusion in Africa
Chipper Cash serves over 6 million users across Africa, using USDC for treasury management and cross-border settlements. The platform offers dollar-denominated savings, remittances, stock investing, and virtual Visa cards—all powered by efficient USDC transfers.
Circle and Chipper Cash collaborate to deliver secure, compliant financial services across the continent. With 49 global licenses—including a recent Broker-Dealer license in Ghana—the partnership is scaling trusted access to digital dollars.
“USDC is our critical settlement layer, enabling 24/7 USD transfers and real-time reconciliations. This efficiency is fundamental to our mission in Africa.”
— Maijid Moujaled, Co-Founder and President
Digital Asset Markets
USDC is the most widely adopted regulated stablecoin in digital asset markets. It serves as a liquid dollar base for trading, lending, and value storage—reducing risk for both exchanges and users.
In 2024, regulatory clarity accelerated mainstream adoption. The EU’s MiCA framework went live, requiring all stablecoins to meet strict compliance standards. USDC and EURC were MiCA-compliant from day one, leading European exchanges to delist non-compliant alternatives by the December 31 deadline.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs—giving traditional investors regulated exposure to over $2.5 trillion in digital assets. While these ETFs don’t directly use USDC, they reflect broader institutional confidence in compliant digital finance—benefiting USDC by association.
Coinbase: Powering Fast, Low-Cost Transactions
Coinbase is a trusted gateway for digital assets, offering trading, staking, and secure custody. USDC is central to its liquidity and collateral systems.
In 2023, Coinbase launched Base, an Ethereum Layer 2 network enabling sub-second USDC transactions for under a penny. By 2024, Base saw massive adoption—driven largely by USDC’s efficiency.
- $562B in USDC moved on Base over the past year.
“Stablecoins are transforming finance by fostering openness and trust. We’re excited to advance the USDC ecosystem globally.”
— Shan Aggarwal, VP of Corporate Development
Bullish: Institutional-Grade Trading with USDC
Bullish operates a high-performance exchange regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission. It supports over 50 USDC trading pairs across spot and derivatives markets.
- $1.3B average daily USDC trading volume.
- 83% of daily trading volume is denominated in USDC.
“USDC provides institutions with a secure medium of exchange and a pathway to confidently engage with digital assets.”
— Chris Tyrer, Head of Institutional
dYdX: Decentralized Derivatives Powered by USDC
dYdX is a leading DeFi protocol for perpetual contracts. After migrating to the Cosmos blockchain in 2023, it now settles all trades in USDC—enabled by Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP).
CCTP allows permissionless, secure transfers of native USDC between blockchains via burn-and-mint mechanics—bringing liquidity from Ethereum to Cosmos seamlessly.
- $289.4M in USDC flows from Noble to dYdX via IBC.
“Cosmos-native USDC and CCTP were critical to processing over $10B in trading volume. Circle’s innovation drives our success.”
— Antonio Juliano, Founder
Payments: The Future of Global Money Movement
USDC is redefining payments—cutting costs, reducing settlement times, and increasing transparency in a $150 trillion cross-border transaction market.
Traditional payment systems rely on fragmented infrastructure with multiple intermediaries. Blockchain replaces this with a unified, always-on network—moving value instantly to anyone with internet access.
👉 See how businesses are adopting stablecoin payments at scale.
Worldpay: Direct USDC Settlement for Merchants
Worldpay became the first global merchant acquirer to offer direct USDC settlement in 2022. Businesses can now receive, hold, and transfer USDC—bypassing fiat-only limitations.
Merchants benefit from:
- Weekend settlement outside banking hours.
- Faster working capital optimization.
- Flexible treasury strategies.
“Our partnership with Circle enables fast, efficient on-chain transactions—positioning merchants at the forefront of digital finance.”
— Nabil Manji, SVP of FinTech Growth
Mastercard: Spending USDC from Self-Custodial Wallets
Mastercard’s five-year partnership with Circle enables issuers and acquirers to settle in USDC. Millions of dollars are now settled daily using this solution.
In 2023, Mastercard launched a card product allowing users to spend USDC directly from self-custodial wallets at over 100 million merchant locations.
“We want customers to have a choice. Stablecoins like USDC are preferred by digital-native businesses—and we’re supporting that shift.”
— Iliev Issidor, SVP of Blockchain & Digital Assets
MetaMask users can now pay anywhere Mastercard is accepted—directly from their wallets—thanks to collaboration with Circle and Mastercard.
Standard Chartered & Zodia Markets: Institutional Payment Solutions
Zodia Markets, backed by Standard Chartered and OSL Group, provides OTC trading and on-chain FX services. It mints and burns USDC instantly via Circle’s banking partnerships—enabling rapid cross-border dollar movement.
- $4B net USDC minted by Zodia Markets.
- Average trade size: $3.5M.
Standard Chartered also holds part of the cash backing USDC reserves and facilitates local minting in Singapore—boosting liquidity in high-demand markets.
MoneyGram: Remittances at Internet Scale
MoneyGram uses USDC on the Stellar blockchain to power peer-to-peer remittances across 180 countries. Its non-custodial MoneyGram® Wallet simplifies cross-border transfers—especially between the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico.
With decades of expertise in global payments, MoneyGram bridges traditional finance and digital assets—offering fast, auditable transactions at near-zero cost.
“USDC enhances speed, transparency, and accessibility—empowering communities through financial inclusion.”
— Jon Lira, Head of Partnerships
Stripe: Stablecoin Payments for Online Commerce
Stripe processes $1 trillion in annual payment volume. In 2024, it began allowing merchants to accept USDC payments on Ethereum, Solana, and Polygon—making it easier for businesses to integrate crypto into their checkout flows.
This move signals growing acceptance of stablecoins as a legitimate payment rail for e-commerce.
Humanitarian Aid: Delivering Impact with Digital Dollars
Over 1.4 billion people are unbanked or underbanked—many in conflict zones or remote regions where traditional banking is inaccessible. Humanitarian agencies often resort to risky cash deliveries.
USDC offers a better solution: instant, auditable aid delivery via mobile devices and digital wallets—available in 180+ countries with transaction fees as low as $0.01 on some blockchains.
👉 Learn how blockchain is transforming humanitarian aid delivery.
UNHCR: Aid for Refugees via Blockchain
With over 120 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, UNHCR faces immense challenges in delivering aid. In 2022, it partnered with Circle to distribute USDC via the Stellar blockchain to Ukrainian refugees.
Recipients receive funds instantly in digital wallets—with integrated cash-out options compliant with local regulations.
The program has expanded to Argentina, where high inflation threatens aid value. Digital dollars preserve purchasing power—protecting displaced populations from currency devaluation.
“Blockchain enables real-time, transparent aid distribution. We’re optimistic about using crypto to support the most vulnerable.”
— Carmen Hett, Treasurer at UNHCR
Goodwall: Rewarding Youth for Positive Impact
Goodwall connects Gen Z talent from developing economies with global opportunities. It rewards users—like beach cleanup volunteers—with USDC payouts.
In 2023, Goodwall reached 90 million people across 170 countries. Nearly 3 million are actively building skills and earning digital dollars.
Partnering with Arbitrum and Circle’s Programmable Wallets, Goodwall aims to issue USDC to over 50,000 beneficiaries annually—banking the unbanked through impact-driven incentives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is USDC used for today?
A: USDC is used for global dollar access, trading in digital asset markets, cross-border payments, remittances, merchant settlements, institutional finance, and humanitarian aid distribution.
Q: Why do businesses prefer USDC for payments?
A: Businesses use USDC for its speed (near-instant settlement), low cost (fractions of a cent), 24/7 availability, transparency, and ability to operate across borders without traditional banking delays.
Q: Is USDC safe for humanitarian aid?
A: Yes. USDC offers secure, traceable disbursements that reduce corruption risks. Recipients receive funds instantly via mobile wallets—even without bank accounts—making it ideal for crisis zones.
Q: How does USDC support financial inclusion?
A: By enabling access to stable U.S. dollars via smartphones and internet connections, USDC empowers unbanked populations to save, transact, and participate in the global economy.
Q: Can individuals earn interest on USDC?
A: Yes. Platforms like Lemon integrate DeFi protocols to offer weekly earnings on USDC holdings—providing passive income opportunities in emerging markets.
Q: What makes USDC different from other stablecoins?
A: USDC is fully regulated, backed 1:1 by U.S. dollar reserves, audited monthly, and compliant with frameworks like MiCA—making it one of the most trusted stablecoins globally.
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