What is USD Coin (USDC)
USD Coin (USDC) is a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. It’s issued by the US company Circle and appeared in 2018. Every USDC is backed by reserves held in dollars and short-term US government bonds, and the composition of the reserves is regularly confirmed by independent attestation reports. Thanks to this transparency and regulation, USDC is especially popular with companies and institutional investors.
USDC is issued on several blockchains, but the Ethereum version under the ERC20 standard has historically been the main one. Every major exchange, wallet and DeFi protocol supports it. For many decentralised applications, USDC has become the base “dollar” for settlements, loans and liquidity pools.
Key facts
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticker | USDC |
| Issuer | Circle |
| Network | Ethereum (ERC20) |
| Address format | “0x” plus 40 characters |
| Network fee | Gas in ETH |
| Official contract | 0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48 |
| Memo / tag | Not needed |
What USDC ERC20 is used for
- DeFi. USDC is one of the main assets in lending protocols and on decentralised exchanges.
- Holding dollars. Transparent reserves make USDC the choice for those who value issuer reliability.
- Business payments. Many services and companies accept payment specifically in USDC.
- Switching between stablecoins. USDC is often swapped for USDT and back, depending on what the recipient accepts.
How to exchange USDC ERC20 at ROVEN exchange
- Choose a direction, for example USDC ERC20 → USDT TRC20 to move to a cheaper network, or BTC → USDC ERC20 to lock in dollar value.
- Enter the amount and the receiving address on the right network. A USDC ERC20 payout needs an Ethereum address starting with “0x”.
- Create the order — the rate is locked for 30 minutes — and send the exact amount to the address in the order.
- After network confirmation, the operator sends the payout and shows its hash on the order page.
What to watch out for
- Sending USDC ERC20 requires ETH for gas.
- USDC also exists on other networks — Solana, Base, Arbitrum and more. Make sure you’re sending ERC20 on Ethereum mainnet specifically.
- Don’t confuse USDC with USDT: they’re different stablecoins from different companies, even though both are pegged to the dollar.
- Check the contract address: fake tokens named USDC exist on Ethereum.
USDC or USDT: which to choose
Both stablecoins are pegged to the dollar and interchangeable for most purposes. USDT is more widespread, especially on TRON and for peer-to-peer transfers. USDC is valued for its regulation and transparent reserves, so companies and DeFi protocols use it more often. If the recipient only accepts one of them, a swap at ROVEN exchange lets you move from one stablecoin to the other quickly, at close to 1:1.
How to store USDC
USDC ERC20 can be stored in any Ethereum-compatible wallet: MetaMask, Rabby, Trust Wallet, and the Ledger and Trezor hardware wallets. If the token doesn’t show up, add it manually using the official contract address. Don’t grant unnecessary approvals to DeFi sites, and revoke old ones from time to time.
Frequently asked questions
Is USDC always worth one dollar?
USDC aims to be worth exactly one dollar and usually stays very close to that level. Brief market deviations are possible but rare.
Can I send USDC ERC20 to a USDT address?
Technically an Ethereum address can receive both tokens, but the recipient must be expecting USDC. If they need USDT, swap USDC for USDT first.
How long does a USDC ERC20 transfer take?
Ethereum produces a block roughly every 12 seconds, so a transfer is usually credited within a few minutes. During heavy congestion with a low gas price, it may take longer.