While already managing USDC cash reserves, BlackRock is now looking into the potential of USDC stablecoin in the financial markets, with its partnership with Circle.
Circle, the primary operator of the UDC Coin (USDC) and a major peer-to-peer payments firm, has announced a $400 million funding round as well as a new partnership with the American investment firm BlackRock.
Circle officially announced on Tuesday that the USDC issuer has agreed to a funding round that will include investors such as BlackRock, the investment advisory firm Fidelity Management and Research, the London-based hedge fund Marshall Wace, and Fin Capital.
The investment round is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022.
In addition to providing strategic investment and serving as the primary asset manager of USDC cash reserves, BlackRock has entered into a broader strategic partnership with Circle. According to the announcement, the partnership intends to investigate capital market applications for USDC.
Circle’s development will be aided by the funding, which comes at a time when demand for the US dollar-based digital currency is on the rise. After launching in September 2018, USDC is one of the fastest-growing dollar digital currencies, with a market capitalization of $50 billion by February 2022.
According to data, Circle is the second-largest stablecoin by market cap, trailing only Tether (USDT), and the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by value at the time of writing.
This round of funding will fuel the next stage of Circle’s expansion. It’s especially encouraging to see BlackRock join the company’s board of directors as a strategic investor. “We are excited to expand our collaboration,” Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire said.
