Circle has announced a strategic partnership with Safe to make the USDC stablecoin a central component of Safe’s onchain ecosystem, positioning Safe as a premier institutional storage and decentralized finance (DeFi) solution for USDC custody.
Safe and Circle Join Forces
The collaboration aims to integrate Circle’s (NYSE: CRCL) regulated stablecoin infrastructure with Safe’s multisignature smart accounts, which currently secure $60 billion in digital assets. According to Circle Chief Commercial Officer Kash Razzaghi, the alliance will help institutions manage onchain capital securely while strengthening USDC’s role in digital treasury management.
He noted that USDC has facilitated more than $40 trillion in onchain transactions to date. The release disclosed that currently, about $2.5 billion in USDC is held in Safe smart accounts—reflecting the growing adoption of regulated stablecoins among institutional users.
The integration will enhance onboarding and treasury operations, giving institutions, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), and crypto-native funds access to DeFi’s deep liquidity pools while maintaining high security standards.
Safe’s co-founder and president of the Safe Ecosystem Foundation, Lukas Schor, said the partnership will position “USDC at the core of the Safe ecosystem,” adding that Safe is becoming “a home for institutional stablecoin DeFi.”
The announcement said the initiative builds on Safe’s record-breaking growth in 2025, during which total volume processed across its smart accounts reached $189.6 billion in Q1 alone, up 65% quarter-over-quarter. The company also recorded 116.7 million transactions and $26.2 billion in decentralized exchange (DEX) volume, a 442% increase.
The alliance points to a broader trend of institutional capital moving toward programmable, self-custodial frameworks. To support this momentum, Safe recently launched Safe Labs, a division focused on building enterprise-grade custody infrastructure for digital assets. Safe now handles nearly 4% of all ethereum transactions, highlighting its growing role in the onchain economy.
Both firms emphasized their commitment to fostering secure and scalable financial infrastructure. As Circle continues to expand USDC’s utility across capital markets, Safe’s integration marks another step in bridging traditional finance and decentralized ecosystems.
FAQ
- What is the purpose of Circle’s partnership with Safe?The collaboration aims to establish USDC as the primary stablecoin within Safe’s ecosystem for institutional and DeFi applications. Safe was once called Gnosis Safe.
- How much USDC is currently held in Safe accounts?Roughly $2.5 billion in USDC is secured in Safe’s multisignature smart accounts.
- What benefits does this partnership bring to institutions?It enhances treasury management, offering secure, self-custodial access to DeFi’s liquidity and infrastructure.
- How significant is Safe’s presence in the onchain economy?Safe handles nearly 4% of all Ethereum transactions and has processed over $1 trillion in total volume.
