Overview
- President Trump met with crypto executives on Aug. 19 and urged Congress to pass the CLARITY Act, a move that boosted investor hopes for clearer U.S. rules for stablecoins.
- Circle shares climbed roughly 10% over Aug. 19–20, trading in after-hours sessions near $80 as crypto markets rallied and regulatory signals improved.
- NOWPayments data show USDC transaction counts rose 209% year-over-year in the first half of 2026, a surge that supporters say strengthens USDC’s real-world use case versus Tether.
- Circle reported a return to quarterly profitability with $48.2 million in net income, but the company still earned about 95% of its reported quarter revenue from interest on reserves, making results highly sensitive to Treasury and money‑market yields.
- Circle plans to launch the Arc Layer 1 blockchain on Sept. 16 after a testnet that processed 502 million+ transactions and 2.8 million+ wallets, and analysts remain sharply split on valuation with price targets ranging roughly from $37 to $175.