Binance Invests $100 Million in Circle and Signs Five-Year USDC Partnership
Binance invested $100 million in Circle and signed a five-year agreement to expand USDC access, as customer balances on the exchange reached $7.13 billion.
Why it matters
The deal makes the world's largest crypto exchange a distribution channel for USDC, narrowing Tether's lead inside Binance as USDC balances there grew to $7.13 billion. CryptoSlate reports Circle pays Binance for that distribution through undisclosed incentives, leaving the arrangement's profitability for Circle unverified.
Where the sources disagree
Number of Class A shares issued to Binance
1.24 million Class A common shares
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
1.237 million Class A shares at $80.84 each
CryptoSlate
Crypto News reports Circle issued 1.24 million Class A common shares, while CryptoSlate reports 1.237 million shares bought at $80.84 each.
Key facts
Binance invested $100 million in Circle through a private placement of Class A common shares.
100,000,000 USDReported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Binance customer USDC balances nearly quintupled to $7.13 billion.
7,130,000,000 USDReported by CryptoSlate
Circle issued about 1.24 million Class A common shares to Binance; CryptoSlate reports 1.237 million bought at $80.84 each.
1,240,000 sharesDisputed figureReported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
The share purchase price reflected a 5% discount to Circle's market price before closing.
5 %Reported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Binance receives monthly incentive fees from Circle based on the amount of USDC held in Binance wallets.
Reported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
The new agreement replaces arrangements signed in November 2024 and August 2025 and runs through September 2031.
Reported by CryptoSlate
What happened
Binance invested $100 million in Circle through a private placement of Class A common shares and signed a five-year commercial agreement to expand access to USDC, focused on emerging markets, the companies announced on Sept. 22. Crypto News reports Circle issued 1.24 million Class A shares to Binance, while CryptoSlate puts the count at 1.237 million bought at $80.84 each, a 5% discount to Circle's Sept. 17 closing price. Binance cannot sell, pledge or hedge the shares for two years, retains voting rights, and receives monthly incentive fees from Circle based on the amount of USDC held in Binance wallets, per Crypto News. The deal replaces arrangements signed in November 2024 and August 2025 and the commercial agreement runs through September 2031, CryptoSlate reports. Binance customer USDC balances nearly quintupled to $7.13 billion, narrowing Tether's lead on the exchange. CryptoSlate notes the incentives Circle pays Binance are undisclosed, so how much profit Circle keeps is unverified.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Binance Makes a $100 Million Move That Will Shake Up the Cryptocurrency Market: Partnership Established with a US Giant!
- Update
Binance and Circle announce a five-year USDC deal and a $100 million equity investment
The companies announced the commercial agreement and investment on Sept. 22; Crypto News published the original report.
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by CryptoSlate
Circle pays millions for Binance distribution while its margins collapse
- Update
CryptoSlate independently reports the deal with balance, share price and contract detail
The independent report adds customer USDC balance figures, the $80.84 per-share price, the September 2031 expiry and the replaced November 2024 and August 2025 agreements.
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 22 Sept 2026, 14:49 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 23 Sept 2026, 02:10 UTC: CryptoSlate — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
Affected entities
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | Binance Makes a $100 Million Move That Will Shake Up the Cryptocurrency Market: Partnership Established with a US Giant! | Original | |
| CryptoSlate Crypto media | Circle pays millions for Binance distribution while its margins collapse | Independent |
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