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Experience the power of USDC for Polkadot

USDC for Polkadot is now available for developers and users of the Polkadot ecosystem! USDC is natively issued on the Polkadot Asset Hub and can be transferred across Polkadot via the XCM protocol for use on parachains that specialize in payments, trading, and financial services.1 Parachains enable parallel execution of transactions on the Polkadot network, providing a fast and scalable user experience.2

USDC for Polkadot Activity
Polkadot-icon
Mainnet Address 1337
Testnet Address 31337
Token Standard Assets
Total Supply* $12.9M
* As of April 27, 2024

Accessing USDC for Polkadot

Businesses can access USDC for Polkadot from a free Circle Mint account, digital asset exchanges, and apps in the Polkadot ecosystem. Regardless of your choice, it’s easy to get started.

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Open a Circle Mint account

Signing up is simple. Provide your business information, and we’ll get the approval process started.

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Create a deposit

Once approved, you can deposit funds into your Circle Mint account via wire transfer. All funds will settle seamlessly in USDC.

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Choose USDC for Polkadot

Easily withdraw USDC for Polkadot and send it on-chain in seconds. Swap USDC natively from Ethereum to Polkadot Asset Hub and back. You can always redeem USDC for Polkadot 1:1 for US dollars.

Open an Account

Top USDC for Polkadot apps

Builders choose USDC for Polkadot for their users. Here are some examples of popular parachains and their apps:
Acala
Astar
Centrifuge
HydraDX
Moonbeam
Curve
Moonwell
StellaSwap

FAQ

Yes, USDC for Polkadot is native to the Asset Hub parachain, which is part of the Polkadot network, as shown on this block explorer.

Polkadot is a network of many sovereign blockchains, also known as parachains. USDC for Polkadot is issued on Polkadot Asset Hub, which is a common-good parachain that’s specifically designed for asset issuance and transfers. It’s easy to transfer USDC from Polkadot Asset Hub to parachains across Polkadot via the XCM protocol.

Please note that Circle Mint and Circle APIs only support USDC natively issued on Polkadot Asset Hub in the Polkadot ecosystem. This means you must transfer USDC from your Circle Mint account to an external Polkadot Asset Hub wallet address prior to using XCM. Additionally, if you transfer USDC from Polkadot Asset Hub to other parachains via XCM, you must transfer back to Polkadot Asset Hub via XCM prior to depositing into your Circle Mint account.

Please do not attempt to deposit XCM-transferred USDC from a parachain other than Polkadot Asset Hub to your Circle Mint account, as it may not be recoverable and could result in a loss of funds.

There are many wallets that support USDC for Polkadot, such as Polkadot.js, Talisman, Nova Wallet, and Subwallet. You can follow this video or written guide to transfer USDC from Polkadot Asset Hub to Moonbeam via the XCM protocol.

Once your USDC has been transferred to Moonbeam via XCM, you can also opt to use a popular EVM-compatible wallet like MetaMask. Your funds may show up as “xcUSDC”, because USDC that has been transferred to Moonbeam via XCM is considered an “External XC-20”, due to originating natively from Polkadot Asset Hub.

This means the native USDC on Polkadot Asset Hub is locked in a special keyless account on Polkadot Asset Hub, which is controlled by Moonbeam. Every parachain has these accounts within other parachains on Polkadot; they are called sovereign accounts. The locking mechanism is secured via the XCM protocol.

Yes, USDC for Polkadot can be quickly and easily swapped to USDC on any other supported blockchain with Circle Mint and Circle APIs.

Please do not attempt to send XCM-transferred USDC from a parachain other than Polkadot Asset Hub to your Circle Mint account, as it may not be recoverable and could result in a loss of funds.

Swap USDC across chains

Programmatically move USDC from one chain to another. Circle APIs make it easy for wallets, exchanges, custodians and more to rebalance their holdings of USDC across supported chains at no additional cost.
How it works
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Toolkit

Maximize your vision. Do more with USDC.

As an open-source, programmable dollar with global reach, USDC is powerful market infrastructure you can begin building with immediately. Developers leverage Circle APIs to do even more with USDC.

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1. Please note that Circle Mint and Circle APIs only support USDC natively issued on Polkadot Asset Hub in the Polkadot ecosystem. This means you must transfer USDC from your Circle Mint account to an external Polkadot Asset Hub wallet address prior to using XCM. Additionally, if you transfer USDC from Polkadot Asset Hub to other parachains via XCM, you must transfer back to Polkadot Asset Hub via XCM prior to depositing into your Circle Mint account. Please do not attempt to deposit XCM-transferred USDC from a parachain other than Polkadot Asset Hub to your Circle Mint account, as it may not be recoverable and could result in a loss of funds.

2. wiki.polkadot.network/docs/getting-started (Last accessed September 13, 2023)