Binance invested $100 million in Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, acquiring 1,237,011 shares at $80.84 each, roughly a 5% discount to the prevailing market price. The shares are subject to a two-year lockup, preventing any sale on the open market until at least September 2028. Circle will pay Binance monthly incentive fees based on USDC balances held through its wallet infrastructure, in exchange for promotional activities and deeper integration of the stablecoin across the platform. The five-year agreement, which replaces two prior USDC contracts from November 2024 and August 2025, focuses particularly on emerging markets where demand for dollar-denominated digital assets is rising sharply. Circle’s stock rose roughly 2% in pre-market trading to around $96, bringing the company’s market capitalization close to $24 billion.
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