Circle’s $USDC stablecoin has faced headwinds in recent months, with its circulating supply falling by roughly $7 billion from its March peak to about $74 billion in July as redemptions outpaced new issuance. The contraction marks the largest monthly decline since 2022 and has raised concerns among analysts that slowing supply growth could weigh on the firm’s transaction and reserve-income outlook, even as on-chain usage remains strong
The stablecoin market posted its largest monthly contraction in years in June, signaling an outflow of on-chain liquidity as crypto markets remained stuck near their 2026 lows.
The analysts also highlighted increasing competitive pressure from Open USD, a newly launched, GENIUS Act-compliant dollar-backed stablecoin developed by a consortium of more than 140 financial and technology companies, including Mastercard (MA), Stripe and Coinbase (COIN).
According to Mizuho, the emergence of consortium-backed stablecoins underscores the risk that the sector becomes increasingly commoditized, making it more difficult for Circle to sustain its competitive position despite securing a national trust bank charter.
“We remain on the sidelines,” the report added.
Read more: Circle soars after securing U.S. trust bank approval in crypto expansion
