Binance Buys $100M Circle Stake in New Five-Year USDC Deal

• Binance purchased 1.24 million Circle shares for $100 million through a private placement.
• Circle will pay Binance incentives tied to qualifying USDC balances held through its wallet infrastructure.
• The new five-year deal expands USDC promotion and replaces agreements signed in 2024 and 2025.

Binance has invested $100 million in Circle while signing a new five-year agreement focused on expanding USDC across its platform. The deal links Binance’s equity investment with broader stablecoin distribution and promotional activities.

Binance Acquires $100 Million Circle Stake

According to a Sept. 22 Form 8-K filing, Binance purchased 1,237,011 Circle Class A shares for $80.84 each. The private placement valued the transaction at approximately $100 million and closed on September 17.

Circle said the purchase price represented a discount to its market value before the transaction. The shares were issued through an unregistered private placement, which limits Binance’s ability to resell them under applicable securities restrictions.

Binance cannot sell, transfer, or hedge the shares for up to two years, subject to specified exceptions. However, the exchange retains voting rights attached to its Circle shares during the restriction period.

The equity purchase was completed alongside the companies’ latest commercial agreement covering USDC distribution and promotion.

Just In: Binance Invests $100 Million in Circle as the Two Expand Their Five-Year USDC Partnership

Circle (NYSE: CRCL) disclosed in a September 22 Form 8-K that its subsidiaries entered into a new five-year agreement with Binance on September 17 to expand USDC adoption,… pic.twitter.com/cnPyHS6ji1

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) September 22, 2026

Circle and Binance Sign Five-Year USDC Agreement

Under the new five-year agreement, Circle will pay Binance monthly incentive fees tied to qualifying USDC balances held through its Modular Smart Contract Wallet infrastructure service.

Meanwhile, Binance will run additional USDC promotions across its platform. The arrangement replaces previous agreements signed by the companies in November 2024 and August 2025.

The November 2024 agreement included a $60.3 million upfront payment to Binance, alongside monthly incentives linked to USDC balances held on the exchange and in its treasury.

The August 2025 arrangement expanded the relationship to USDC held through Circle’s Modular Smart Contract Wallet infrastructure. That agreement carried a four-year term with specified early termination provisions.

The new agreement can also end early if certain contractual events occur. However, Circle and Binance have not disclosed the specific financial thresholds governing those termination provisions.

USDC Distribution Expands Across Binance

The latest agreement builds on a relationship that has expanded since Binance and Circle announced their strategic partnership in December 2024.

Binance has since increased USDC availability across trading, savings, payments, and other products. The exchange also integrated USDC deposits on Circle’s Arc network on September 16.

USDC has also gained a broader role in Binance’s institutional product infrastructure. In July 2025, Binance began accepting Circle’s USYC as off-exchange collateral for institutional derivatives trading.

Circle reported $73.3 billion of USDC in circulation at the end of the second quarter. That represented a 19% increase from the same period a year earlier.

Meanwhile, Circle continues expanding USDC distribution through major platforms and payment networks. The company recently renewed its USDC agreement with Coinbase for another three years, extending the partnership through 2029. 

Circle has also expanded its visibility beyond financial platforms through a new sponsorship with Chelsea Football Club for the 2026/27 season, placing USDC branding on the club’s men’s, women’s, and academy team shirts. 

Overall, the Binance investment combines a direct equity stake with a five-year commercial agreement focused on expanding USDC access. The arrangement further aligns the companies’ efforts to increase stablecoin adoption across global digital-asset markets.