Circle launches USDC Bridge for native 1:1 EVM transfers

Circle launched the USDC Bridge, a Circle-operated interface built on its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP), to move native 1:1 USDC across EVM-compatible chains. The live app at bridge.usdc.com recorded roughly $602.5 million in transfers within a single 24-hour window shortly after launch.

The platform was announced on the USDC account on X, which described the service as “a direct way to move USDC crosschain” and highlighted features such as upfront fees, live transfer tracking and automatic handling of destination-chain gas.

A transfer on the bridge follows three steps. A user connects a wallet and initiates a transfer on the source chain, which burns the specified amount of USDC. Circle then issues a signed attestation confirming the burn. An equal amount of native USDC is minted on the destination chain and delivered to the recipient address. Because Circle controls the mint-and-burn process as issuer of USDC, the bridge does not rely on third-party liquidity providers or external validators to complete transfers.

At launch the bridge supports multiple EVM-compatible networks, including Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism Mainnet, Polygon PoS, Avalanche, Sei and Monad. Non-EVM chains such as Solana are not included in the initial release. Circle indicated the list of supported chains will expand over time and advised users to check the live site for updates.

The bridge runs on CCTP V2, an upgraded standard that provides faster finality and supports automated post-transfer actions such as swaps and deposits. Circle said the CCTP primitive can be integrated by wallets, decentralized apps, exchanges and other services to power cross-chain treasury rebalancing, trading flows and DeFi activity.

Circle does not charge protocol fees for standard transfers; users pay on-chain gas. Fast transfers that use Circle’s attestation service for near-instant finality may incur higher gas costs. A small minting fee on the destination chain applies in some cases, with full technical details available in Circle’s developer documentation. The bridge is designed for individual users, while CCTP serves as a low-level tool for developers and services.

CCTP has handled substantial volume since its introduction in 2023. Circle reported the protocol has processed more than $140 billion in cumulative transfers across more than 20 chains. The company plans to phase out CCTP V1, also called Legacy CCTP, beginning July 31, 2026, and advised developers and applications on V1 to migrate to V2 to maintain compatibility with Circle’s attestation service and the broader ecosystem.

The announcement included standard warnings about crypto risks. Circle noted users remain exposed to gas fees, smart contract vulnerabilities and network congestion. The company also reminded users that USDC balances are not covered by FDIC insurance or equivalent deposit protections.