USDC Surpasses USDT in DeFi Usage Activity

In Crypto Regulations
January 09, 2026

Market Capitalisation of Gold-backed Stablecoins Surpasses $4 Billion

The value transferred through the stablecoin USDC from Circle over the past year exceeded that of USDT from Tether.

The respective value of the first “stablecoin” stands at $17.3 trillion, while the second is $12.9 trillion, according to data from the analytics platform Artemis.

However, in terms of market capitalization, USDT still leads with a figure of $186 billion. The current value of USDC is $74.9 billion.

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Stablecoin market capitalization ranking. Source: CoinGecko.

USDC remains the preferred tool on DeFi platforms, “where lending and trading are conducted automatically,” noted Artemis co-founder Anthony Yim. According to him, the competing USDT is mainly used “for everyday transactions, business operations, or as a store of value.” 

The total volume of “stablecoin” transactions in 2025 increased by 72% to $33 trillion.

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Annual stablecoin transaction volume dynamics. Source: Artemis, Bloomberg.

In the fourth quarter of last year, turnover in the sector reached a record $11 trillion. The previous period’s figure was $8.8 trillion. 

Analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence forecast that the total volume of the stablecoin segment could reach $56 trillion by 2030.

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Projected capacity of the stablecoin segment until 2030. Source: Bloomberg Intelligence.

In December, the CFTC launched a pilot program for using digital assets as collateral in derivatives markets under the GENIUS Act. In the first phase, the list of permissible collateral assets included Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDC.

Earlier in December, Visa initiated settlements in Circle’s token within the United States.

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Steven M. Crimmins is a cryptocurrency strategist and freelance writer who has followed the blockchain industry since Bitcoin’s early days. Known for his sharp analysis of altcoins and trading strategies, Steven provides Satoshi News Africa readers with market-focused content grounded in research. He is especially interested in how African traders are adopting crypto as an alternative to traditional markets. Steven is also a podcast host, where he discusses emerging technologies and investment trends.