Altcoins News

Story: Stablecoin Supply Hits $315 Billion as USDC Crushes Tether Growth

By Pankaj K

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Trading Volumes Surge Amid Volatility. The quarter brought crazy trading volumes as Bitcoin and Ethereum swung like pinballs.

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Major Exchanges Pick Sides. Coinbase made a big play March 22, letting users earn interest on USDC holdings.

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What Regulators Plan Next. Everyone's watching the Fed's April 15 policy meeting.

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Stablecoins exploded past $315 billion. The first quarter of 2026 saw massive growth driven by USDC's surge against rival Tether, according to fresh CEX.

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USD Coin basically crushed it during Q1, grabbing market share from Tether like nobody's business.

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Tether took a beating. Supply dropped 5%.

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Despite staying the biggest stablecoin by market cap, USDT faced serious questions about what actually backs those tokens.

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The quarter brought crazy trading volumes as Bitcoin and Ethereum swung like pinballs. Investors ran to stablecoins for safety, which makes sense when you're watching your…

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Circle didn't waste time capitalizing on the momentum. On March 15, they partnered with Visa to let people spend USDC directly, bringing the stablecoin into everyday payments.

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Binance reported USDC trading pairs jumped 20% compared to last quarter. CEO Changpeng Zhao said on April 1 that the platform can't keep up with demand for USDC trading options.

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But Tether fought back. March 10 brought news that they'd publish regular reserve attestations to calm investor fears. Too little, too late? Maybe.

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Coinbase made a big play March 22, letting users earn interest on USDC holdings. CEO Brian Armstrong called stablecoins "crucial for bringing more stability to the crypto…

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Kraken saw the same trend. Chief Legal Officer Marco Santori said March 28 that institutional clients keep choosing USDC over USDT because of "regulatory clarity.

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The European Central Bank dropped a report April 1 about stablecoins in cross-border payments.

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And the numbers back it up. The Blockchain Transparency Institute reported March 31 that USDC daily volume hit $10 billion for the first time ever.

The Currency Analytics

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