USD Coin (USDC)

What is USDC?

USDC is primarily a stablecoin, which means it is a cryptocurrency that minimizes market fluctuations in its value. Therefore, the dependence here has the value of the traditional currency (in this case the dollar). So it depends precisely on it, and the unit corresponds to one dollar unit. It should be pointed out that USDC has the second largest capitalization created by the Center consortium.

The creators of the cryptocurrency were, among others Coinbase, Center and Circle Internet Financial exchanges, who introduced USDC in 2018 based on the Ethereum network at the same time, which for many users might seem nothing special. However, it should be pointed out that it is the equivalent of the US dollar, but in a fully digital form. This means that any transfers can be made without geographic restrictions, and their transfer takes a few minutes. It is worth mentioning that in 2020 Circle and Coinbase announced an important update for cryptocurrencies and smart contracts, which are designed to facilitate the use of stablecoin in everyday life, i.e. for payments, trading or P2P (Peer-to-peer) transactions. .

Interesting fact: To confirm the trust and ensure the transparency of the system, the company published information that each month the state of USDC dollar reserves is confirmed by 5 largest accounting companies, incl. Grant Thornton LLP. Moreover, the company publishes reports intended to reassure users that the USDC cryptocurrency is fully convertible to US dollars.

How does USDC ensure the privacy of its users?

As the analysis shows, USDC is regulated by relevant financial institutions as well as secures assets and corresponds one to one US currency. Adequate privacy and its protection are provided by the Center consortium, which is responsible for the arrangements in the field of technology, policy and financial standards of stablecoin.

How to mine USDC cryptocurrency?

The essence of USDC is that it is not necessary to purchase a cryptocurrency excavator, which consumes a lot of energy, to mine them. This is due to from the fact that even a financial institution can become the issuer of USDC, from which external clients will exchange the cryptocurrency. For this purpose, it must meet certain conditions, such as: having active licenses, conducting AML program audits with compliance with FATF standards, an appropriate amount of reserves in a 1: 1 ratio with tokens (reporting on evidence of the existence of reserves confirmed by a statutory auditor), enabling exchange and redemption of USDC from other members of the issuer.

As you can see, for a financial institution to have the right to issue, it must meet a number of fairly restrictive conditions, which is why it may be a confirmation of its security for some.

As USDC was created by Coinbase, it is thanks to this platform that you can buy stablecoin. The first step to complete the transaction is, among others creating an account or logging into a Coinbase account, where it will then be possible to convert USDCS at the rate of USD 1 per USDC respectively (zero fees are provided here). Finally, the user can have a full cryptocurrency and can transmit it to another place or can recalculate it into US dollars.

How does USDC work?

Users who have already become owners of the cryptocurrency become the issuer of the currency and are entitled to transfer funds to the network. The issuer transmits the commands over the network from CENTER, where USDC tokens are verified. However, in the case of buyout, the customer performs the redemption operation after verification and confirmed compliance, where USDC is removed from circulation and the values from the reserve are sent to the customer's external bank.

Importantly, USDC can store even parts of its value, such as 0.0003 USDC, so it is not necessary to invest all of its value, but we can only afford as much as we are able to offer. As we find in Coinbase on integrating USDC with Ethereum, it is indicated that this network was selected because Etherum is recognized as a leading platform for smart contracts that relies on strong support from developers.

To adequately illustrate how the USDC functions, it is worth explaining it on the basis of three points:

1. Sending the request to the USDC issuer and waiting for redemption according to the value - the amount in US dollars per USDC.
2. Sending a request to the USDC smart contract, which aims to further exchange USDC for US dollars, and then withdraw them from circulation of the appropriate / the same value of tokens.
3. The issuer delivers the amount in US dollars to the entity's bank account.

It is worth mentioning that the amount received is reduced by any fees that were previously incurred.

What is the specificity of USD Coin? First of all, it enables a reverse exchange - and thus the possibility of converting USDC into US dollars, which is also worth distinguishing in three stages:

1. The entity arranges a request to the issuer of USDC in the appropriate value of US dollars per USDC.
2. The issuing entity requests the USDC smart contract to convert the token into US dollars, eliminating the relevant value of tokens from circulation.
3. The issuer transmits US dollars from the reserve to the entity's bank account, and the entity obtains cash corresponding to the corresponding value of the USDC token. The same as in the stage of converting US dollars to USDC - this value is reduced here by the fees potentially incurred by the given user.

What is CENTER and what is its purpose?

CENTER aims to ensure the development of technology and contribute to the solution of potential problems related to price volatility, therefore USDC was created to eliminate the current problem. It creates a scheme that is to provide a solution to the links between various portfolios on a global scale and the goal is also the flow of capital between portfolios, in the same way as it is in web browsers and, for example, via e-mail or SMS.

The CENTER software is to be managed by an independent organization and a specific entity that will be responsible for these activities. Supports and manages ongoing research and development works for an open-source program.

All this is to ensure that CENTER is a significant and global organization open to the global market, which is to properly cooperate with digital wallets without geographic barriers.

Furthermore, CENTER ensures that commercial USDC issuers are licensed to operate it and sets reporting requirements for any reviews.

What is CIRCLE?

Interestingly, CIRCLE is also called a start-up of digital currencies, supported even by the giant - Goldman Sachs. Circle, along with Center and Coinbase, is developing USD Coin stablecoin. CIRCLE was founded by people like Jeremy Allaire and Sean Neville in 2013 and serves as the primary money donor, so it can be said to be a financial book. Thanks to the functioning of CIRCLE, companies can transfer money with the help of American companies that provide financial services. The issue of legal regulations is important here, which in this case has been precisely described, so all companies dealing with the specificity of transferring money must strictly follow the established rules.

It should be mentioned that CIRCLE is not obliged to charge any fees that the user might incur when using the tokenization or redemption services offered by CIRCLE. It should be pointed out, however, that all transmissions via a bank account carry a commission (it is estimated to be around US $ 50).

Potential Uses of USDC Cryptocurrency

Based on smart contracts, stablecoin enables the operation of products and services of many companies, as well as digital wallets, exchanges, DeFi protocols, savings services, loans and payment transactions. As we can see, the application is quite wide, however, it is also worth remembering about the advantages and disadvantages mentioned below.

Advantages and disadvantages of USDC

Certainly, the most important disadvantage is the fact that it is the equivalent of the US dollar, for some it may be beneficial and for investors it will not be a form of profitable investment. Therefore, it is fully dependent on the dollar exchange rate. On the other hand, given the assumptions, it may also be preferred as an advantage of a reliable and stable digital currency that will simply allow you to upgrade existing payments. Moreover, there is no need to create a bank account to own the USDC, unlike the regular US dollar. This means that you do not need to live in a given region to own it.

Undoubtedly, the advantages of cryptocurrency include its stable value. Considering that the customer has the option to exchange the stablecoin on a bank account whose bank account is in US dollars, it gives a sense of security and therefore is responsible for the stability of the cryptocurrency price, as it is 1: 1 for the dollar as mentioned. Moreover, USDC is guaranteed by the US dollar which means that it is properly secured in your bank account.

Its advantage is also the fact that it is supported by Ethereum, it is its token. Therefore, you can keep it in a wallet that is compatible with Ethereum. Its essence is that transactions can be made internationally. designed to be able to make global money transfers irrespective of geographic barriers. As one of the few stablecoins, USDC has obtained legal assurance, which is proof of the additional certainty of the cryptocurrency.

Why should we use USDC?

When answering this question, it is important to note some facts. USDC operates on the basis of the US dollar, but the functioning of financial institutions and all bureaucracy is eliminated. In addition, it is possible to circumvent the debilitated economies resulting in the phenomenon of hyperinflation. In addition, money transfers are international and there are no formal requirements.

USDC and Bitcoin - basic differences

How much is (USDC)? On which exchanges is it listed?

Cryptocurrency wallets for (USDC) - which one to choose?

When deciding on a cryptocurrency wallet, we must recognize its features in order to be able to properly classify whether the equivalent of storing our traditional wallet will be appropriate. It depends on many factors, including on how many cryptocurrencies we have, whether they are valuable and what budget we have to cover the wallet. It should be noted that when we decide to invest large sums of cryptocurrencies, it is worth spending a bit more money on appropriate wallets that store us money, because inadequate security will simply result in theft of our capital.

Cryptocurrency wallet examples for (USDC)

Before proceeding with the differentiation and qualification of individual portfolios for USDC, it is worth mentioning the specifications of each of them. The wallet is intended for network interaction with blockchain technology, but they can also be distinguished into two types: hot wallets and cold wallets.

The hot wallet is characterized by a close connection to the internet, where the holder has an individual address where it is possible to deposit / transfer and trade cryptocurrencies. It is the most common choice of users due to its accessibility and usually free access to use.

A cold wallet is a wallet that, unlike a hot wallet, is not connected to the Internet. Moreover, here there is a certain medium that works offline and stores our funds through certain tools that sometimes resemble a flash drive. It is characterized by the highest security of our funds.