Circle’s $69 IPO launch challenges Ripple as USDC compliance wins Wall Street

Spread the love
  • Circle’s NYSE debut opened at $69 (CRCL), far above its $31 IPO price, triggering volatility halts after surging to $84.92.
  • Trading 34M shares at $2.34B valuation, Circle rejected Ripple’s $20B buyout to pursue public listing as planned.

Circle Internet Financial began public trading on the New York Stock Exchange today. Shares opened at $69 under ticker symbol CRCL. This opening price exceeded earlier estimates of $44. The company initially priced its shares at $31.

Source: Yahoo Finance

Early trading saw the stock rise to $84.92 within minutes. This represented a 174% increase over the IPO price. High volatility triggered exchange circuit breakers. Trading halted temporarily as buy orders overwhelmed the market. The stock later settled between $64 and $103.75 during its discovery phase.

Circle now trades 34 million shares. Its market value exceeds $2.34 billion. This valuation remains below recent acquisition proposals. Ripple previously offered up to $20 billion for the company. Circle declined those offers to pursue its public listing.

CEO Jeremy Allaire called the listing a defining moment. Chief Strategy Officer Dante Disparte stated: “Our mission to enable frictionless value exchange continues. Today marks Circle’s transition to public markets.” The company aims to build internet payment infrastructure beyond its stablecoin operations.

Circle’s USDC stablecoin supports its market position. USDC holds $64.47 billion across multiple blockchains. Its supply doubled over the past year. The token complies with European MiCA regulations. USDC maintains full asset backing and avoids delistings. It recently returned to Stripe’s payment platform.

Regulatory compliance remains central to Circle’s operations. The company freezes addresses at law enforcement request. To date, 292 addresses have been restricted. This includes $57 million frozen after the LIBRA token incident.

The post Circle’s $69 IPO launch challenges Ripple as USDC compliance wins Wall Street appeared first on ETHNews.