Circle beats Q4 earnings estimates as USDC supply jumps 72%; shares surge 20%

Stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Group reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, driven by rapid growth in its USDC stablecoin business and expanding payments operations, underscoring continued momentum in an otherwise challenging crypto market.

For the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2025, Circle posted revenue of $770 million, a 77% increase from a year earlier, and reported net income of $133.4 million, or 43 cents per share. Analysts expected per-share earnings of 16 cents on revenue of $747 million.

The strong quarter was fueled in part by a 72% year-on-year increase in the circulation of Circle's US dollar-pegged stablecoin, USDC, which reached about $75.3 billion by year-end.

For the full year 2025, Circle reported revenue of $2.7 billion, up 64% from the prior year. The company recorded a net loss of $70 million for the year, largely due to $424 million in stock-based compensation tied to its 2025 initial public offering (IPO).

Despite the annual loss, operating income was positive at about $157 million, reflecting solid underlying performance.

Circle's shares surged on the news, rising more than 20% in early trading Wednesday morning, to nearly $74.

Circle highlighted several operational milestones during the quarter, including the public testnet launch of Arc, its new blockchain infrastructure platform designed to help institutions build tokenized financial applications. More than 100 institutional participants have joined the testnet, the company said.

The Circle Payments Network, a cross-border payments coordination layer enabling banks to settle transactions using stablecoins, expanded to 55 financial institutions, with additional companies undergoing eligibility review and onboarding.

While Circle is best known for issuing USDC, the world's second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization, its euro-denominated stablecoin, EURC, also posted strong growth. EURC circulation reached 310 million euros ($365 million), up 284% year over year.

Circle has also benefited from a more favorable regulatory backdrop in the United States under President Donald Trump's administration, including the passage of the GENIUS Act, which establishes a federal framework for payment stablecoins and issuer oversight.

However, broader industry momentum has faced hurdles. As The Wall Street Journal reported, progress on a separate market structure bill known as the CLARITY Act has stalled amid ongoing tensions between crypto industry advocates and banking groups over issues including stablecoin yield and reward mechanisms.