Stablecoin issuer Circle has launched USDC Bridge, a new user interface built on the Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) designed to simplify native cross-chain transfers of the USDC stablecoin. Circle’s USDC X account said the bridge enables users to move USDC in a “predictable, transparent way,” using a native burn-and-mint mechanism to avoid bridge complexities.
Circle said gas fees will be handled automatically, fees shown up front, and users will receive live status updates throughout transfers.
USDC Bridge builds on CCTP, introduced in April 2023, which now facilitates hundreds of millions of stablecoin transfers daily and removed the need for wrapped or synthetic USDC versions.
Cross-chain bridges aim to make crypto ecosystems interoperable rather than fragmented. Simplifying bridge interfaces has been a priority for infrastructure providers because complex bridges have confused users and hindered adoption; past bridge issues have led to hacks and losses.
Cointelegraph found USDC Bridge supports transfers between at least 17 Ethereum Virtual Machine–compatible chains, including Ethereum, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Base, Monad, Optimism, Polygon, Sonic and World Network. Circle’s broader CCTP support also covers non-EVM chains such as Solana, Sui and Aptos.
Separately, Circle was hit with a class-action lawsuit after failing to freeze roughly $230 million in USDC that moved through CCTP following the Drift Protocol exploit on April 1. Plaintiffs—more than 100 members represented by law firm Mira Gibb—allege aiding and abetting conversion and negligence and are seeking damages to be determined at trial.
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