Author: Chloe, ChainCatcher
Circle released its first-quarter earnings for 2026 before the market opened yesterday, posting double-digit year-over-year revenue growth and simultaneously disclosing that its new public chain Arc's native token completed a pre-sale of $222 million at a $3 billion valuation. Although net profit declined 15% year-over-year due to increased stock-based compensation and operational investments, market focus remained centered on the long-term narrative of Arc and AI agent payments. CRCL's stock price surged nearly 16% that day, closing at $131.76, hitting a new high since mid-March.
USDC Scale Hits New Record, On-chain Transaction Volume Up 263% YoY
Circle's first-quarter total revenue and reserve income reached $694 million, a 20% increase year-over-year. Breakdown:
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Reserve Income: $653 million, up 17% YoY, primarily benefiting from a 39% YoY increase in average USDC circulation, partially offset by a 66 basis point decrease in reserve yield (down to 3.5%).
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Other Revenue: $42 million, roughly doubling YoY, reflecting strong growth in subscription, service, and transaction revenues.
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Net Income from Continuing Operations: $55 million, down 15% YoY, mainly due to stock-based compensation and related payroll taxes post-IPO, as well as increased investment in products, distribution, and operational infrastructure.
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Adjusted EBITDA: $151 million, up 24% YoY; Adjusted EBITDA margin was 53%.
Notably, both revenue and net income fell short of Wall Street analysts' expectations prior to the earnings release. According to Bloomberg, sell-side analysts had forecast revenue around $720.8 million and a reserve yield of 3.56%, neither of which were met. However, the adjusted EBITDA of $151 million exceeded the market expectation of $137.9 million, providing some support. This also indicates that the interest rate environment will be one of the most critical external variables for Circle moving forward.
On the operational front, USDC circulation reached $77 billion, up 28% YoY. First-quarter USDC on-chain transaction volume reached $21.5 trillion, a 263% YoY increase, reflecting a significant rise in stablecoin usage density as a payment and settlement medium.
According to Visa Onchain Analytics data, USDC accounted for 63% of stablecoin transaction volume in Q1. Meanwhile, Circle's USYC has become the world's largest tokenized money market fund as of May 7. Other key operational metrics include a USDC "platform retention" balance of $13.7 billion at quarter-end, up 254% YoY; 7.2 million "active wallets" holding over $10 in USDC, up 47% YoY; and a stablecoin market share of 28%, down 62 basis points YoY, directly reflecting competitive pressure from Tether and other rivals.
Public Chain Arc Completes $222 Million Token Financing with Star-Studded Investor Lineup
Circle also announced that the native token ARC for Arc, its institutionally-focused Layer 1 public chain, has completed a $222 million pre-sale, with a fully diluted network valuation of $3 billion. According to crypto asset data platform RootData, the financing was led by a16z with a $75 million investment. Other participating investors include BlackRock, Apollo Funds, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Standard Chartered Ventures, ARK Invest, Bullish, and over ten other institutions.
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that the company is transitioning from a stablecoin issuer to a broader internet platform company, entering the operating system and application business. Regarding token distribution, Circle holds 25% of the initial 10 billion token supply, 60% is allocated to network builders and participants, and 15% is reserved as long-term reserves.
Notably, Circle stated that this financial forecast does not incorporate the financial impact of the ARC token pre-sale, Arc incentive programs, or future Arc-related revenues.
Reaffirms Previously Announced Full-Year Guidance, No Adjustments
Additionally, Circle simultaneously launched a series of "Agent Stack" products, including Circle CLI (Command Line Tool), Agent Wallets, and Agent Marketplace, enabling developers and merchants to create, fund, and monetize AI agent-driven activities using USDC across multiple public chains and payment protocols.
The earnings report also revealed that, in terms of payment business, the Circle Payments Network (CPN) processed an annualized transaction volume of $8.3 billion as of March 31, based on the past 30 days of activity. Managed Payments, launched in April, allows financial institutions to offer stablecoin payment services without managing digital assets themselves.
New enterprise use cases for USDC include: Kyriba embedding USDC into its corporate treasury system, and Polymarket expanding its use of USDC as a core collateral and settlement asset.
Finally, regarding the outlook for the full year 2026, Circle chose to reiterate its previously announced performance guidance without any upward or downward revisions. Specifically, USDC circulation is still expected to maintain a 40% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over multi-year cycles. FY2026 other revenue is projected between $150 million and $170 million; RLDC margin is expected between 38% and 40%; and adjusted operating expenses are forecast at $570 million to $585 million.
Similarly, this set of guidance does not incorporate the financial impact of the ARC token pre-sale, Arc incentive programs, or future Arc-related revenues, meaning there is room for upward revision once the Arc ecosystem successfully launches.
Majority of Wall Street Analysts Issue Bullish Ratings
Following the earnings release, CRCL surged approximately 16% that day, closing at $131.76, reaching its highest level since March 18. The stock has gained 66% year-to-date, with market capitalization rebounding to around $35 billion.
Wall Street analysts are generally optimistic about Circle's stock price performance over the next 12 months and beyond. According to TipRanks statistics, the consensus target price is $138.50. Among them, Peter Christiansen of Citi gave a 12-month target of $243, while Gautam Chhugani of Bernstein set a target of $190. Along with ten other analysts, all issued "Buy" ratings.
However, analysts still retain some reservations about short-term execution risks. Clear Street analyst Owen Lau pointed out that while the narratives of Arc and Agent Stack are eye-catching, they are "not yet a material business." John Todaro of Needham & Co. noted that recent DeFi protocol hacks could indirectly affect USDC use cases: "If capital leaves DeFi, how does that impact Circle's business?" Andrew Jeffrey of William Blair believes that CRCL stock price volatility will remain high in the short term, but Circle holds a significant advantage in "stablecoin commerce" with multiple catalysts progressing simultaneously.
It can be seen that Circle's earnings report presents a dual structure: the stablecoin business is still scaling rapidly, but unit economics are being compressed by interest rates and distribution costs. The market's willingness to award a 16% single-day gain is more of a bet that the Arc public chain, ARC tokenomics, and AI agent payments can reposition Circle from a stablecoin issuer to a "network financial operating system" in the medium to long term, opening up second and third growth curves beyond the existing USDC spread model.
Perhaps the market's focus going forward will be on the Arc mainnet launch timeline, market acceptance of the ARC token after public circulation, and the impact of subsequent U.S. GENIUS Act and Clarity Act implementations on the overall stablecoin competitive landscape.
