Circle (CRCL) Stock: Sam Altman Partnership Sparks Another Rally

TLDR

Circle stock (CRCL) jumped over 10% Wednesday as USDC stablecoin launched natively on Sam Altman’s World Chain blockchain Circle’s valuation has surged to $28.34 billion, nearly 4x its $31 IPO price from just one week ago USDC is now natively supported on 21 different blockchains following the World Chain integration The integration includes Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol V2 for faster transfers across blockchains Circle’s IPO success has sparked interest from other crypto firms, with Gemini filing for its own public offering

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Circle stock closed Wednesday with gains exceeding 10% as the stablecoin issuer announced its USDC token would launch natively on World Chain. The blockchain project is co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and focuses on human verification technology.

The stock has now gained over 250% since its initial public offering just one week ago. Circle priced its IPO at $31 per share and currently trades above $116.

Circle Internet Group (CRCL)

The company’s market valuation has reached approximately $28.34 billion. This represents nearly a four-fold increase from its IPO pricing.

World Chain automatically upgraded all existing bridged USDC tokens to the new native version. Users and developers can continue operating without workflow disruptions since the smart contract address remains unchanged.

Native @USDC is now live on @world_chain_!

With native USDC, World Chain developers and users gain trust, stability, and global access from the world’s largest regulated stablecoin.

Frictionless access to crosschain liquidity is also now made possible with CCTP V2.

Key… pic.twitter.com/JMUYjMsjF8

— Circle (@circle) June 11, 2025

Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol V2 also launched on World Chain alongside native USDC. The protocol enables near-instantaneous transfers of USDC across supported blockchain networks.

Enhanced Blockchain Coverage

USDC now operates natively on 21 different blockchain networks following the World Chain integration. The stablecoin ranks as the second-largest by market capitalization.

Circle emphasized that the upgrade improves liquidity, security, and capital efficiency for World Chain ecosystem participants. The integration provides users direct access to Circle’s extensive on-ramp and off-ramp infrastructure.

The Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol V2 introduces a feature called Hooks. These programmable functions automatically trigger specific actions when funds arrive at their destination.

Circle’s stock reached an intraday high of $138.57 on Monday before pulling back. Trading was halted multiple times on the IPO debut day as shares surged more than 300% from the offering price.

The IPO raised $1.1 billion for Circle and early shareholders. The company had previously attempted to go public through a SPAC merger in 2022 but those plans fell through.

Institutional Interest Grows

Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest purchased $373 million worth of Circle shares on the debut day. That investment has gained approximately 40% in value within one week.

Circle’s public market success has encouraged other crypto companies to pursue IPO plans. Trading platform eToro completed its public debut in May with positive results.

Crypto exchange Gemini recently filed confidential S-1 documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed IPO. The New York-based exchange is operated by billionaire twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.

Bitcoin rewards company Fold also went public earlier this year. However, neither Fold nor eToro experienced the same level of first-week gains as Circle stock.

CoreWeave, which provides computing power for crypto and AI companies, has also seen its stock price rise following its recent public listing. Market observers note the current crypto IPO activity resembles the ICO enthusiasm of 2017.

Some analysts predict Circle could evolve into a Treasury-focused firm similar to MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin accumulation strategy. The company generates revenue by investing customer deposits backing USDC in short-term Treasury securities.

Circle originally sought to go public as early as 2022 but market conditions delayed those plans. The company’s USDC stablecoin has maintained its dollar peg throughout various market cycles and regulatory developments.

The World Chain integration represents Circle’s continued expansion across blockchain ecosystems as demand for stablecoin infrastructure grows across decentralized finance applications.

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