 ▲ Circle (CRCL)/ChatGPT-generated image © |
Circle, whose stock price has recently surged 75% and captured Wall Street’s attention, is rapidly transforming from a simple digital dollar issuer into a core financial infrastructure company for the age of artificial intelligence. It has been revealed that 99% of payments occurring between AI agents are conducted through its stablecoin, positioning the company as the dominant force in the emerging ecosystem of machine-to-machine payments.
According to cryptocurrency media outlet Jinse Finance on March 6 (local time), Circle announced fourth-quarter 2025 earnings on February 25 that far exceeded market expectations, sending its stock soaring from $60 to $105 in a short period. During the earnings call, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire emphasized that hundreds of billions of AI agents will conduct economic activities on the internet in the future, and that 99% of AI-agent proxy payments, still in their early stages today, are being processed in USD Coin (USDC).
The biggest difference between AI payments and traditional payment systems is that the transacting parties are machines, not humans. Legacy banking and credit card systems impose a fixed fee of $0.30 plus a 2.9% variable fee and require several days for settlement, making them incapable of handling the sub-cent, ultra-micropayments generated at high frequency as AI breaks tasks into countless micro-transactions. In contrast, dollar-pegged stablecoins enable real-time, 24/7 automated payments through smart contracts, making them optimized for the machine economy.
Circle has secured a uniquely dominant position in this market because it possesses three core infrastructures: liquidity, a blockchain payment network, and connectivity with traditional finance. As of 2025, USDC’s circulating supply reached $75.3 billion, a 72% increase year-over-year, forming a vast network. In addition, Circle’s proprietary blockchain, Arc, boasts processing speeds of 700–800 milliseconds and fees at around one cent. It has also introduced a micropayment system for AI called Nano Payments, enabling the batch processing of thousands of small transactions.
Above all, Circle’s greatest strength lies in its rigorous commitment to regulatory compliance. Having secured legal licenses in major jurisdictions including the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Singapore, Circle has established the Circle Payments Network to safely connect traditional banks and corporate clients to the blockchain ecosystem. As of February 2026, 55 financial institutions participate in the network, processing $5.7 billion in annual transactions and recording a steep growth rate of 68%.
According to consulting firm Kearney, AI agent-mediated commerce is projected to reach between $10 trillion and $12 trillion by 2030. In this new economic system led by machines rather than humans, outdated credit card-based payment networks are bound to fall behind. Beyond merely issuing coins, Circle is making a bold strategic move to establish itself as the core protocol of a new era, enabling value to flow as freely as information across the future internet.
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