CRCL 10-K & 10-Q changes, risk factors and insider trading
Circle Internet Group, Inc. · NYSE · Finance Services · CIK 1876042 · All filings on SEC.gov
At a glance
What changed in the latest 10-K
Comparison not available: Not available: fewer than two 10-K filings on EDGAR to compare (only one so far)..
What changed in the latest 10-Q
Risk Factors
New heading “Issues relating to the development and use of artificial intelligence in our business could result in reputational harm, competitive harm, and legal liability, and could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.”
Removed heading “The market for blockchain infrastructure is highly competitive, and Arc may fail to achieve sufficient adoption to support a viable ecosystem.”
Removed heading “Arc may be subject to technical risks, including software vulnerabilities, bugs, and failures that could result in loss of assets or network downtime.”
Removed heading “Arc may be used to facilitate fraud, scams, sanctions violations, or other illicit or improper activity, which could subject us to liability, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational harm.”
Removed heading “A determination that the ARC Token is a “security” or that an activity in which we engage with respect to the ARC Token involves a “securities transaction” for purposes of the securities laws could adversely affect the value of the ARC Token and/or have adverse regulatory consequences for us.”
Removed heading “We intend to distribute ARC Tokens through multiple channels, which could result in exposure to liability or other adverse consequences.”
Removed heading “The market price of ARC Tokens could be highly volatile and may decline significantly, which could impact our business and financial condition given our anticipated ARC Token holdings. In addition, future sales or distributions of ARC Tokens by us or other large holders could depress the price of ARC Tokens.”
Removed heading “Arc and ARC Token may expose us to additional regulatory risks.”
Removed heading “We will have significant influence over Arc governance decisions and such decisions may be perceived to favor ARC Token holders in ways that conflict with, or are not in the best interests of, our stockholders.”
Removed heading “The planned transition of certain decisions relating to Arc to a distributed governance model may not occur on the timeline we anticipate or at all, and may create risks during or after the transition period.”
Removed heading “Our relationships with validators, developers, governance participants, and other ecosystem participants could be alleged to constitute a general partnership, joint venture, or other unincorporated association, which could expose us to joint and several liability for acts or obligations that we do not control.”
Removed heading “Arc will be dependent on third-party node operators and validators, and may be vulnerable to attacks that could disrupt network operations or result in loss of assets.”
Removed heading “If ARC Tokens sold in our presale are not delivered by the applicable deadline, if Arc has not transitioned to a Proof-of-Stake or a delegated Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, or if certain purchaser-specific repayment rights are exercised, we may be required to repay amounts paid by the token purchasers, which could adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition, and ability to develop Arc.”
Removed heading “The management of gas fees, treasury assets, and related wallet arrangements for Arc may create operational, security, and liquidity risks.”
Largest changes
“If any such theory were accepted, we could be exposed to joint and several liability, or similar liability, for obligations, losses, misconduct, or other actionable conduct attributed to the alleged partnership, joint venture, or other enterprise, including claims arising from acts or omissions of other participants that we did not control and may not have been able to prevent. …”see in full comparison
“The legal and regulatory status of digital assets, including the ARC Token, varies significantly across jurisdictions and continues to evolve rapidly. In many countries, the issuance, distribution, trading and use of digital assets are subject to licensing, registration or authorization requirements, or have been partially or wholly restricted or prohibited. …”see in full comparison
“Moreover, our collaborators or other third-party service providers may also incorporate AI tools into their own offerings, and the providers of these AI tools may not meet existing or rapidly evolving regulatory or industry standards, including with respect to intellectual property, data privacy, and cybersecurity. Further, bad actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the use of AI, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal data, confidential information, and intellectual property. …”see in full comparison
“Public blockchain networks and digital assets have in the past, and may continue to be, attractive targets for bad actors seeking to engage in fraud, money laundering, sanctions evasion, theft, market manipulation, scams, or other illicit or improper activity. Arc may host third-party applications, tokens, or other activity that we do not control and that may be used in unlawful, deceptive, or harmful ways. …”see in full comparison
“Other risks associated with the use of AI tools could include unauthorized use of our confidential information, or that of our users or third parties, in user prompts, code outputs that are potentially not protectable under copyright, reproduction of our code in code outputs to third parties, use of data without sufficient oversight and governance to ensure its responsible and ethical use, disclosure of our confidential or personal information, or that of our users or third parties in the output of the tools, the use of user prompts by licensors of these tools for training purposes or other …”see in full comparison
“If ARC Tokens sold in our presale are not delivered by the applicable deadline, if Arc has not transitioned to a Proof-of-Stake or a delegated Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, or if certain purchaser-specific repayment rights are exercised, we may be required to repay amounts paid by the token purchasers, which could adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition, and ability to develop Arc.”see in full comparison
Full comparison: every changed paragraph (54)
Our business and Class A common stock are subject to many risks, as more fully described in the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 9, 2026 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 11, 2026. Except as set forth below, there have been no material changes to the principal risks that we believe are material to our business, results of operations, and financial condition from those disclosed in Part I, Item 1A—“Risk Factors” of the 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 9, 2026 and Part II, Item 1A — “Risk Factors” of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 11, 2026. Any of these factors could result in a significant or material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. Additional risk factors not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business or results of operations.
Risks Related to ArcArtificial and ARC TokensIntelligence
Issues relating to the development and use of artificial intelligence in our business could result in reputational harm, competitive harm, and legal liability, and could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.
We use, and may increasingly use, artificial intelligence, machine learning, generative artificial intelligence, and other automated technologies (collectively, “AI”) in our business, including in fraud detection, transaction monitoring, compliance, reserve analytics, smart contract development, customer support, and developer tools, and we may incorporate these technologies into or alongside our products and services, including in connection with agentic payment capabilities. We anticipate that AI will become increasingly important to our operations in the future. Our competitors and other third parties may incorporate AI into their businesses or offerings more quickly or more successfully than us, which could impair our ability to compete effectively and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.
Our use of AI may result in new or expanded risks and liabilities, including due to regulatory scrutiny, litigation, compliance issues, ethical concerns, confidentiality or security risks, and other factors that could adversely affect our reputation, business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects. Evolving legal frameworks and guidance, including the EU AI Act, other international regulatory regimes, and emerging U.S. federal and state rules and industry standards governing AI may require us and our third-party developers to incur significant costs to modify, maintain, or align our business practices, services, and products to comply with applicable requirements, the nature of which remains unclear and may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
There can be no assurance that our use of AI will enhance our products or services, produce the intended results, or be beneficial to our business. AI systems are complex and may be flawed, reflect unwanted bias, or produce outputs that are incorrect, incomplete, or inconsistent with our policies, regulatory obligations, or applicable law, including with respect to financial data, compliance determinations, and customer-facing communications. Because transactions on our platform and on blockchain networks may be difficult to reverse, errors involving AI-enabled tools could result in losses that are not readily remediable. Consumer and institutional attitudes toward AI are evolving, and concerns about automated decision-making, privacy, transparency, or other ethical considerations could reduce trust in our products or platform or deter adoption of AI-enabled features in our products and services. If our AI systems produce, or are alleged to produce, inaccurate, deficient, or biased outputs, our reputation, business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects could be adversely affected.
Other risks associated with the use of AI tools could include unauthorized use of our confidential information, or that of our users or third parties, in user prompts, code outputs that are potentially not protectable under copyright, reproduction of our code in code outputs to third parties, use of data without sufficient oversight and governance to ensure its responsible and ethical use, disclosure of our confidential or personal information, or that of our users or third parties in the output of the tools, the use of user prompts by licensors of these tools for training purposes or other unauthorized purposes, our use of output violating third-party copyrights or other intellectual property rights and/or adverse impacts by unforeseen defects, technical challenges, cybersecurity threats, or material performance issues. As a result, we could be subject to lawsuits by parties claiming intellectual property infringement, breach of confidential information, and data privacy claims. We could also suffer loss of confidentiality, trade secret rights, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights, suffer harm to our reputation or incur liability resulting from harm to individuals, civil claims, or the violation of laws or contracts to which we are a party.
Moreover, our collaborators or other third-party service providers may also incorporate AI tools into their own offerings, and the providers of these AI tools may not meet existing or rapidly evolving regulatory or industry standards, including with respect to intellectual property, data privacy, and cybersecurity. Further, bad actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the use of AI, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal data, confidential information, and intellectual property. Any of these effects could damage our reputation, result in the loss of valuable intellectual property and information, cause us to breach applicable laws and regulations, or otherwise adversely impact our business.
The market for blockchain infrastructure is highly competitive, and Arc may fail to achieve sufficient adoption to support a viable ecosystem.
The market for blockchain infrastructure is intensely competitive. We anticipate that Arc will compete with numerous established and emerging blockchain networks, many of which already have significantly larger developer communities, user bases, and ecosystem resources than Arc would have at the outset. Competing networks may develop superior technology, attract more developers, or offer more favorable economic terms to users and network participants, such as validators. New blockchain networks may also emerge that are better positioned to capture market share.
There can be no assurance that we will launch Arc on our contemplated timeline or that Arc will achieve the adoption necessary to sustain a robust ecosystem. Failure to attract a critical mass of developers, users, and/or applications could limit demand for block space and/or reduce the utility and value of our ARC Token holdings. The rapidly evolving nature of the industry means that competitive dynamics can shift quickly and unpredictably.
Moreover, although we have entered into token purchase agreements with certain institutional investors in connection with a presale of ARC Tokens, there can be no assurance that the ARC Token will ultimately be launched. The launch of the ARC Token remains subject to numerous contingencies, including continued technical development of Arc, any transition of the Arc network to a Proof-of-Stake or delegated Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, market conditions, business considerations, and legal, regulatory, and compliance assessments. We may determine not to proceed with the launch of the ARC Token, or to delay any such launch for an extended period of time, for any number of reasons. If we do not launch the ARC Token, or if the launch is materially delayed, we could face reputational harm, disputes with presale purchasers, and/or increased regulatory or litigation risk, and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Arc may be subject to technical risks, including software vulnerabilities, bugs, and failures that could result in loss of assets or network downtime.
Arc, as a layer-1 blockchain network, is complex software that may contain errors, vulnerabilities, or defects that we have not detected. Blockchain protocols are a novel technology, and even extensive security audits may fail to identify all vulnerabilities in the codebase. Exploits of software vulnerabilities or other successful attacks could result in loss or theft of assets held on the network, reputational harm, legal liability, and loss of user confidence. In particular, because the security of Arc will rely on cryptographic algorithms and hash functions, advances in computing technology, including in particular the development of quantum computing and artificial intelligence, could render Arc vulnerable to attack. A sudden or unexpected rapid development in the area of quantum computing or artificial intelligence could expose Arc and its users to significant risks. Any attack on Arc could result in theft of assets, manipulation of transaction records and/or loss of user confidence. We may be required to implement emergency protocol upgrades or hard forks to address vulnerabilities, which may themselves introduce new risks, cause network disruptions, or damage our reputation. Bugs or defects in smart contracts deployed on Arc by us or third parties could also expose users to losses, and we may face reputational harm or legal liability even for vulnerabilities that originate in third-party code. Network outages or extended periods of reduced performance could harm user adoption, damage our reputation, and reduce the utility and value of the ARC Token.
Arc’s protocol may require upgrades over time to address vulnerabilities, improve performance, implement new features, or respond to regulatory requirements. Protocol upgrades, particularly those requiring a hard fork, carry significant execution risk. Hard forks can result in chain splits, creating competing versions of the network that fragment liquidity and user activity. Even soft forks and backward-compatible upgrades can cause instability if not adopted broadly by validators and node operators. In the event of significant disagreements within the validator community or the ARC Token holder base regarding proposed protocol changes, we may face governance disputes that are difficult to resolve and that damage the cohesion and credibility of our ecosystem. We may also face pressure from third parties, including large ARC Token holders or ecosystem participants, to implement protocol changes that are not in the best interests of us or our stockholders.
Furthermore, the insurance market for blockchain-related businesses remains limited and immature. We may be unable to obtain insurance coverage that adequately protects us against the risks associated with Arc operations, including losses from cybersecurity incidents, smart contract vulnerabilities, theft of digital assets, or regulatory enforcement actions. Even where insurance coverage is available, it may be subject to significant exclusions, deductibles, or limitations that reduce its practical utility. In the event of a material loss not covered by insurance, we could suffer significant financial harm.
Arc may be used to facilitate fraud, scams, sanctions violations, or other illicit or improper activity, which could subject us to liability, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational harm.
Public blockchain networks and digital assets have in the past, and may continue to be, attractive targets for bad actors seeking to engage in fraud, money laundering, sanctions evasion, theft, market manipulation, scams, or other illicit or improper activity. Arc may host third-party applications, tokens, or other activity that we do not control and that may be used in unlawful, deceptive, or harmful ways. If Arc and/or ARC Tokens are used to facilitate such activity, we may face user complaints, litigation, regulatory investigations, enforcement actions, reputational harm, and increased compliance and monitoring costs.
In addition, privacy-enhancing or similar features may increase the difficulty of monitoring transactions and enforcing legal or compliance controls. Although we expect to implement and refine policies, controls, tooling, and governance mechanisms intended to address misuse of Arc and ARC Tokens, there can be no assurance that those measures will be effective or that regulators will view them as sufficient. Any such measures, including sanctions-screening, deny-list, or similar controls, may be difficult to design and administer effectively, may increase perceptions of centralization or censorship, and may adversely affect network utility or user adoption.
A determination that the ARC Token is a “security” or that an activity in which we engage with respect to the ARC Token involves a “securities transaction” for purposes of the securities laws could adversely affect the value of the ARC Token and/or have adverse regulatory consequences for us.
We have taken the position that the ARC Token is not a “security,” and that transactions in the ARC Token, except for the presale transactions closed on May 8, 2026, are not “securities transactions,” as defined under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). This determination is based on our analysis of existing case law, regulatory guidance and the structural characteristics of the ARC Token, including its utility functions and the degree to which its value is expected to depend on factors other than our managerial efforts, or those of our affiliates (including our subsidiary that is expected to act as the issuer of the Arc Token, or other identifiable third parties. We believe that our process reflects a thoughtful analysis that is reasonably designed to facilitate the application of available legal guidance to the ARC Token and transactions in the ARC Token to determine whether it is a security or, they are securities transactions, respectively, under the federal securities laws. However, this position is not free from doubt, and there can be no assurance that the SEC or a court of competent jurisdiction would agree with our characterization. In addition, even if the ARC Token itself were not characterized as a security, one or more offers, sales, distributions, staking arrangements, governance arrangements, treasury activities, or other transactions involving the ARC Token could be characterized as securities transactions or otherwise give rise to securities law obligations.
The SEC and its staff have previously taken the position that a range of digital assets, transactions in digital assets, products, and services fall within the definition of a “security” under the U.S. federal securities laws. Despite the SEC being the principal federal securities law regulator in the United States, whether or not an asset, product, or service is a security or constitutes the offer or sale of a security under federal securities laws is ultimately determined by a federal court. The legal test for determining whether any given digital asset, product, or service is an “investment contract” was set forth in the 1946 Supreme Court case SEC v. W.J. Howey Co. and whether any given digital asset, product, or service is a “note” in the 1990 Supreme Court case Reves v. Ernst & Young. The legal tests for determining whether any given digital asset, product, or service is a security or constitutes the offer or sale of a security require a highly complex, fact-driven analysis. Accordingly, whether offers or sales of the ARC Token would ultimately be deemed by a federal court to be securities transactions, or the ARC Token deemed to be a security, is uncertain and difficult to predict notwithstanding the conclusions of the SEC or any conclusions we may draw based on our assessment regarding the likelihood that the ARC Token could be deemed a “security” or that offers or sales of the ARC Token could be deemed securities transactions under applicable laws. Any enforcement action by the SEC or another regulatory authority asserting that a digital asset is a security or sold in a securities transaction, or a court decision to that effect, would be expected to have an immediate material adverse impact on the trading value of that digital asset, and depending on the specific characteristics of the digital asset, could have adverse spillover effects on the trading values of other digital assets perceived to share similar characteristics. The classification of a digital asset or transactions in that digital asset as a security or securities transaction under the federal securities laws has wide-ranging implications for the regulatory obligations that flow from the offer, sale, trading, clearing and holding of such assets, and any such classification with respect to the ARC Token would have adverse consequences to our business, financial condition and results of operations.
While the above description of adverse regulatory consequences focuses on the federal securities laws, state regulators and jurisdictions outside the United States retain independent authority to enforce their own securities laws, which may differ from or be interpreted more expansively than federal law. As a result, a state regulator or foreign jurisdiction could determine that the ARC Token constitutes a security under applicable law, even if the SEC has elected not to pursue enforcement action, the SEC has provided informal guidance or assurances to the contrary, or the ARC Token is otherwise excluded from the definition of a security at the federal level. Moreover, private litigants may assert claims under federal or state securities laws based on similar theories, regardless of the positions taken by federal regulators.
We intend to distribute ARC Tokens through multiple channels, which could result in exposure to liability or other adverse consequences.
We intend to distribute ARC Tokens through multiple channels, which may include, among others, token sales and presales, developer grants, network growth programs and other participation mechanisms. Each of these potential distribution methods could involve complex and potentially unsettled questions carrying distinct legal risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that all such distribution activities will be found to comply with applicable law. Adverse determinations with respect to one or more of them could result in exposure to material liability or otherwise adversely affect our business.
In particular, we have conducted a presale of ARC Tokens to institutional investors. While we have taken the position that ARC Tokens are not securities, we treated the offer and sale of the ARC Tokens pursuant to the token purchase agreements as transactions involving investment contracts and conducted the transaction pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in reliance on Section 4(a)(2) thereof and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D promulgated thereunder. There can be no assurance that such exemptions will be available or that our conduct of the presale will satisfy all of the conditions required therefor. If the presale is deemed a non-exempt offer or sale of securities, we may be subject to rescission claims from purchasers, which would require the issuer to refund the consideration received plus interest, in addition to potential civil and criminal liability under the securities laws. Even if we believe the presale qualifies for an applicable exemption, the SEC or other regulatory authorities may disagree. Any enforcement action or adverse determination with respect to the presale could result in exposure to material liability or otherwise adversely affect our business.
Further, we have allocated or intend to allocate a portion of the ARC Token supply to strategic counterparties, including ecosystem developers, prospective validators and other participants, in connection with services to be rendered or partnerships to be formed. The SEC or other regulators may characterize these allocations as compensatory arrangements that constitute sales of securities, or as part of a broader integrated distribution plan subject to registration requirements. If such characterizations were to prevail, we could face liability for failure to register the allocation as a sale to comply with applicable exemptions, and strategic counterparties who received ARC Token allocations could seek rescission of those arrangements.
The market price of ARC Tokens could be highly volatile and may decline significantly, which could impact our business and financial condition given our anticipated ARC Token holdings. In addition, future sales or distributions of ARC Tokens by us or other large holders could depress the price of ARC Tokens.
We expect to hold a material number of ARC Tokens on our consolidated balance sheet, including both our long-term holdings and tokens held in treasury with the intention of benefiting the Arc community for ecosystem or reserve purposes. The trading price of ARC Tokens, to the extent a liquid market develops, may be highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations. The price of ARC Tokens may be influenced by a variety of factors that are beyond our control, including speculative trading activity, demand (or lack thereof) for use of Arc, regulatory developments or enforcement actions, macroeconomic conditions, technological developments relating to competing blockchains, changes in the total supply of ARC Tokens, changes in market sentiment and/or the actions of large ARC Token holders or other Arc ecosystem participants.
Digital asset markets have historically experienced periods of extreme volatility and are susceptible to market manipulation. There can be no assurance that a liquid trading market for the ARC Token will develop or be sustained. If the ARC Token declines significantly in value or becomes illiquid, our business model, to the extent it depends on the ARC Token, could be materially harmed.
Because of our anticipated ownership of a material portion of the total ARC Token supply, sales or other dispositions of ARC Tokens by us, or other distributions from the ARC Token treasury that we hold, could increase the supply of ARC Tokens available in the market and exert downward pressure on the price of ARC Tokens. Similarly, the vesting and release of ARC Tokens allocated to presale purchasers and strategic counterparties could result in significant market selling pressure. There can be no assurance that the market will be able to absorb such sales without a material decline in the price of ARC Tokens. A sustained decline in ARC Token prices could impair the utility and adoption of our network, reduce the value of our ARC Token holdings and harm our business.
Arc and ARC Token may expose us to additional regulatory risks.
The legal and regulatory status of digital assets, including the ARC Token, varies significantly across jurisdictions and continues to evolve rapidly. In many countries, the issuance, distribution, trading and use of digital assets are subject to licensing, registration or authorization requirements, or have been partially or wholly restricted or prohibited. We may not be in compliance with, or may be unable to comply with, the applicable laws and regulations of every jurisdiction in which the ARC Token is or may be held, traded or used, particularly as such laws continue to develop and as Arc grows. For example, in certain jurisdictions, digital assets may be subject to financial services regulation, anti-money laundering requirements, state money transmission or virtual currency business requirements, and other obligations that could restrict the permissible uses of the ARC Token or impose substantial compliance costs, or may implicate other regulatory regimes such as the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Regulators, including the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), state regulators, and foreign equivalents, may view certain activities on Arc or related protocols as creating regulatory obligations for us. Further, we cannot predict how legislative and regulatory developments will affect Arc. New or amended laws or regulations, or developments in the interpretation or application of existing laws and regulations, such as those currently being considered in the United States by Congress, could require us to obtain licenses or registrations that may be difficult or impossible to obtain, such as under the Investment Company Act of 1940, restrict or prohibit certain uses of ARC Tokens or Arc, or impose compliance obligations relating to know-your-customer and AML requirements, or adversely affect features such as privacy, interoperability, or stablecoin-based fee mechanics. Our failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could result in enforcement actions, fines, penalties, restrictions on our operations, or reputational harm in those markets.
We will have significant influence over Arc governance decisions and such decisions may be perceived to favor ARC Token holders in ways that conflict with, or are not in the best interests of, our stockholders.
Over time, we anticipate that Arc will transition from a Proof-of-Authority (“PoA”) consensus model to a Proof-of-Stake (“PoS”) or delegated Proof-of-Stake (“dPoS”) consensus mechanism. However, for so long as Arc remains a PoA consensus mechanism in which we retain control of the network’s consensus mechanism, we will have significant influence over governance decisions, including decisions regarding network upgrades, fee structures, validator selection, token economics and protocol parameters. Even after a potential transition to a PoS or dPoS consensus mechanism, we expect to retain control over certain decisions, such as validator selection or network upgrades, and may also control or influence certain other decisions, such as token economics, through our ownership of ARC Tokens or validator operations. Accordingly, there is a risk that decisions we make and/or influence via our control may not be perceived to be in the best interests of our stockholders.
In addition, because we will hold a significant number of ARC Tokens, we will have a direct financial interest in the success of Arc and the ARC Tokens. This interest may influence our business decisions and affect how we prioritize Arc relative to other corporate objectives, and may create conflicts of interest with respect to decisions affecting the ARC Token or Arc. For example, we may be incentivized to make governance decisions, allocate resources, or pursue strategic partnerships related to Arc at the expense of other business priorities. Our stockholders, who participate in the equity value of Circle but not directly in Arc or the ARC Token (except to the extent of our ARC Token holdings), may have different views about how these trade-offs should be managed. Our Board of Directors and management will need to exercise careful judgment in navigating these conflicts, and there can be no assurance that they will always do so to the satisfaction of our stockholders.
These conflicts of interest may be difficult to manage and may give rise to stockholder claims or regulatory scrutiny. Our directors and officers have fiduciary duties to our stockholders under applicable corporate law, and those duties may at times be perceived to conflict with actions that we take in our role as the initial creator and steward of Arc. There can be no assurance that our stockholders will agree that we are managing these conflicts effectively, which could subject us to litigation, regulatory action, or reputational harm. Our stockholders may also disagree with governance decisions we make with respect to Arc, which could harm our stock price and negatively affect our relationship with investors.
The planned transition of certain decisions relating to Arc to a distributed governance model may not occur on the timeline we anticipate or at all, and may create risks during or after the transition period.
We intend for governance of certain decisions relating to Arc to progressively transition to a distributed model in which ARC Token holders, Arc validators, and a security council exercise meaningful control over protocol decisions. However, this transition involves significant technical, legal, and operational challenges. The pace and extent of decentralization will depend on factors including the development of appropriate governance infrastructure, the diversity and engagement of the ARC Token holder community, regulatory developments and our own strategic decisions. There can be no assurance that such decentralization will occur on the timeline we anticipate or at all.
During the transition period, we will retain substantial control over Arc and bear the attendant legal and regulatory risks of that control. In particular, because we may act, directly or indirectly, as a developer, steward, validator operator, ARC Token holder, governance participant, security council participant, service provider, and/or other influential participant with respect to Arc or decentralized finance protocols deployed on or integrated with Arc or other blockchain networks, private plaintiffs, regulators, or other parties may assert that we had the practical ability, contractual authority, or governance influence to prevent, limit, remediate, or respond to harmful activity, and therefore should bear liability for losses or other harms arising from such activity, even if we did not exercise such influence or did not believe we had a legal obligation to do so.
A transition that occurs too quickly may leave Arc vulnerable to governance attacks, coordination failures, or the dominance of a small number of concentrated ARC Token holders. A transition that occurs too slowly may result in regulators or courts treating Arc as an extension of our business and holding us liable for network activities. In addition, as governance becomes distributed, we will have limited ability to influence protocol decisions or prevent malicious, unlawful, or economically harmful outcomes, which could result in outcomes adverse to our business interests and/or our stockholders. For example, ARC Token holders could vote to implement changes to the protocol that increase ARC Token value at the expense of network utility, impose burdensome conditions on developers or users or otherwise make decisions that harm the long-term health of the ecosystem, and we will have limited ability to prevent or reverse harmful governance decisions once Arc becomes sufficiently distributed. Further, malicious actors may seek to influence or capture governance processes through ARC Token accumulation, coordinated voting, collusion, vote buying, borrowing arrangements, or other strategies, including so-called “empty voting” attacks. Such actors may also have economic or strategic incentives that are adverse to Arc, ARC Token holders, or us.
Further, as governance becomes distributed, our ability to respond to future legislation or other regulatory developments may be limited. For example, legislation or regulation related to decentralized finance that is perceived as being overly broad or burdensome may lead users of DeFi networks, including Arc at such time, to disfavor those networks, and we may be unable to regain control of Arc to assuage any such issues due to its distributed nature. Additionally, distributed governance could limit our ability to implement compliance, sanctions-screening, deny-list, or other security controls, and efforts to implement such controls could create disputes with users, validators, governance participants, or other ecosystem actors and reduce the utility or adoption of the network.
Our relationships with validators, developers, governance participants, and other ecosystem participants could be alleged to constitute a general partnership, joint venture, or other unincorporated association, which could expose us to joint and several liability for acts or obligations that we do not control.
We expect Arc to involve coordination with a range of third parties, including validators, developers, liquidity providers, governance participants, service providers, and other ecosystem participants. Although we do not intend for these relationships to form a general partnership, joint venture, or other unincorporated association, plaintiffs, regulators, or courts could nevertheless assert that, based on the facts and circumstances, we and one or more such parties were acting together as co-owners of a business or enterprise for profit, or that we held ourself out, or permitted itself to be held out, as a partner or equivalent participant in such an arrangement. Such claims could be based on, among other things, shared economic arrangements, token allocations, coordinated governance or validator activity, joint branding or marketing, collective decision-making, or other forms of cooperation across the Arc ecosystem.
If any such theory were accepted, we could be exposed to joint and several liability, or similar liability, for obligations, losses, misconduct, or other actionable conduct attributed to the alleged partnership, joint venture, or other enterprise, including claims arising from acts or omissions of other participants that we did not control and may not have been able to prevent. For example, we could face claims relating to governance decisions, sanctions or compliance failures, misleading statements by ecosystem participants, or other conduct undertaken by persons alleged to be acting on behalf of, or in the ordinary course of business of, the alleged enterprise. Even if such claims ultimately lack merit, the assertion of them could result in litigation, investigations, indemnification demands, reputational harm, substantial defense costs, and the diversion of management attention, and could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Arc will be dependent on third-party node operators and validators, and may be vulnerable to attacks that could disrupt network operations or result in loss of assets.
The security and utility of Arc will depend in significant part on the participation of validators and node operators. If Arc is unable to attract and retain a sufficient number and diversity of validators, the network could become vulnerable to consensus failures or centralization risks. Validators and node operators face operational costs, including hardware, bandwidth, and energy expenses, and may elect not to participate if the economic incentives provided by staking rewards and transaction fees are insufficient. Changes to protocol economics, competing networks, or adverse regulatory developments could reduce participation. A decline in the number or quality of network participants could impair network security, performance, and decentralization.
To the extent Arc relies on a consensus mechanism to validate transactions and maintain its integrity, if a single actor or coordinated group were to acquire or control a majority of the network's consensus power, whether through stake concentration, validator collusion, or other means, they could potentially double-spend tokens, prevent confirmation of legitimate transactions, or otherwise disrupt network operations. In addition to consensus-layer attacks, Arc may be vulnerable to Sybil attacks, eclipse attacks, routing attacks and other forms of sophisticated adversarial behavior. We cannot guarantee that Arc's security model will be sufficient to prevent all such attacks, and any successful attack could result in significant harm to Arc users, the value of the ARC Token and our reputation.
If ARC Tokens sold in our presale are not delivered by the applicable deadline, if Arc has not transitioned to a Proof-of-Stake or a delegated Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, or if certain purchaser-specific repayment rights are exercised, we may be required to repay amounts paid by the token purchasers, which could adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition, and ability to develop Arc.
In connection with the presale of ARC Tokens pursuant to the token purchase agreements, we have agreed that, if either (i) the ARC Tokens sold in the presale are not delivered, or (ii) the Arc network has not transitioned to either a Proof-of-Stake or delegated Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, in each case by May 8, 2028, presale purchasers holding a majority of the ARC Tokens issuable thereunder may elect to require repayment of the purchase price. Certain related arrangements may also provide individual purchasers with repayment rights, including rights tied to specified legal, regulatory, or compliance-related conditions, or to specified changes or proposed changes to the structure, governance, procedures, or other aspects of Arc after delivery. Although we currently intend to deliver the ARC Tokens and pursue the contemplated network transition within the expected timeframe, our ability to do so will depend on a variety of factors, including technical development, regulatory developments, market conditions, governance readiness, operational preparedness, and satisfaction of applicable delivery conditions, some of which may be outside of our control.
If purchasers were to exercise these repayment rights, we could be required to return cash or USDC. Depending on the timing and amount of any such repayment, satisfying these obligations could require the use of corporate resources that otherwise would be available for operations, product development, network launch, or strategic initiatives. In addition, any delay or dispute regarding repayment obligations could result in claims by purchasers, reputational harm, or regulatory scrutiny. The existence or exercise of these repayment rights could also affect market perception of Arc, our relationship with ecosystem participants and investors, and our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The management of gas fees, treasury assets, and related wallet arrangements for Arc may create operational, security, and liquidity risks.
The launch and operation of Arc may require digital assets, including gas fees, treasury assets, validator-related funds, reserves, or other network-related assets, to be held, transferred, secured, allocated, or otherwise managed through treasury wallets, third-party custodians, cold-storage arrangements, internal treasury systems, or other wallet infrastructure. These arrangements may involve complex operational processes, key management, access controls, funding workflows, wallet provisioning, migration of assets across networks, and coordination among technical, treasury, legal, compliance, and security teams. Any breakdown in these processes or controls, including human error, fraud, cyberattack, insider misconduct, vendor failure, key compromise, loss of access credentials, delays in funding or settlement, or failures in wallet infrastructure, could result in the loss, theft, misappropriation, unavailability, or misdirection of assets, including assets temporarily held in treasury wallets before being programmatically distributed.
In addition, if treasury, custody, or fee-management arrangements are not available when needed, are not scalable, or do not function as intended, Arc’s operations could be disrupted. For example, validators may not be compensated on the expected timeline, transactions may be delayed or fail, required network functions may not be funded when needed, or unexpected liquidity demands may arise in connection with launch, migration, operations, or incident response. Although the intent is for transaction fees to remain in any treasury wallet only briefly before being programmatically transferred onward, there can be no assurance that such arrangements will always function as intended or fully mitigate the risk of hacks, loss, or other operational failures during that period. Any of these events could adversely affect Arc’s launch and operation and our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
Removed heading “Other income (expense), net”
Removed heading “Distribution, transaction and other costs”
Largest changes
“Compensation expenses. Compensation expenses decreased by $306.9 million, or 53.0%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, driven by $423.8 million of stock-based compensation expense recognized during the six months ended June 30, 2025 related to the vesting of RSUs, for which the service-based condition had been met prior to the IPO, and the liquidity-event related performance condition was met upon the completion of the IPO and upon the commencement of trading of our Class A common stock on the NYSE during the six months ended June 30, 2025. …”see in full comparison
“Reserve income. Reserve income increased by $128.1 million, or 10.7%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, of which approximately $348.0 million of the increase is attributable to a 31.7% increase in average daily USDC in circulation reflecting increased demand for Circle stablecoins, as well as expanded strategic partnerships and integrations. This was largely offset by a decrease of approximately $220.0 million which was attributable to a 66 basis point decline in the average yields reflecting interest rate actions undertaken by the U.S. …”see in full comparison
Other income (expense), net. Other income (expense), net changed bysee in full comparison$14.8$178.4 million,or 476.5%,for the three months endedMarchJune31,30, 2026, compared to the three months endedMarchJune31,30, 2025, due toathe$5.7non-recurrence of prior-year fair value losses of $168.5 millionincrease in interest income received on corporate cash balances, a $5.7 million increase in unrealized gains on investments, a $5.7 million increase in income from favorable foreign currency exchange rate movements, and a $4.9 million decline in lossesrelated tochanges inthefair value of investments - derivatives. This was offset by a $6.5 million loss as a combined result of the increase in the fair value of ourconvertible notesduethatto an increase in the price of our Class A common stock, and the conversion of the remaining outstanding convertible notesconverted into Class A common stock in the first quarter of 2026. In addition, there was a $9.5 million increase in income from favorable foreign currency exchange rate movements and a $4.6 million increase in interest income received on corporate cash and cash equivalents balances.
Net cash used in financing activities was $2.1 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2026, reflecting a $2.0 billion decrease in net changes in deposits held for stablecoin holders primarily due to a decrease in USDC in circulation, and a decrease from $149.5 million of payments of withholding taxes on settlement of restricted stock units. Net cash provided by financing activities wassee in full comparison$1.8$17.8 billion for thethreesix months endedMarchJune31,30,2026,2025, reflecting a$1.9$17.3 billion increase in net changes in deposits held for stablecoin holders primarily due tothean increase in USDC in circulation,offsetandby $80.2$572.6 millionofinpaymentsproceeds received from the issuance ofwithholdingcommontaxesstockoninsettlementconnection with the IPO, net ofrestrictedunderwritingstockdiscountsunits,andcomparedcommissionstoandnetofferingcash provided by financing activities of $16.3 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2025, reflecting a $16.3 billion increase in net changes in deposits held for stablecoin holders primarily due to the increase in USDC in circulation.costs.
Full comparison: every changed paragraph (85)
In the firstsecond quarter of 2026, we continued building the infrastructure for an open, programmable internet financial system by scaling adoption of USDC and expanding our platform across product and network milestones.
During the firstsecond quarter of 2026 (compared to the firstsecond quarter of 2025):
•Net income (loss) from continuing operations decreasedincreased 15%by $530 million to $55$48 million.
See “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) from continuing operations, the most closely comparable GAAP measure, and additional information about the limitations of our non-GAAP measures.
We are building a full-stack internet financial platform business anchored by our stablecoin network. Our business is organized around three reinforcing pillars: (i) Arc, an open Layer-1 blockchain network and related developer/interoperability infrastructure; (ii) Circle Digital Assets and Services, including USDC, EURC, USYCUSYC, cirBTC, and related liquidity infrastructure such as Circle Mint and xReserve; and (iii) Circle Applications, including products like CPN and StableFX that deliver real-world utility on Arc and across a multichain ecosystem. The three pillars of our platform are designed to reinforce one another: Arc is expected to provide an enterprise-grade foundation for stablecoin finance and consumer-scale applications; Circle Digital Assets and related services supply trusted units of value and liquidity infrastructure; and Circle Applications translate that infrastructure into real-world utility for institutions, developers, and end-users.
We currently derive a substantial majority of our revenue from reserve income on the reserve assets backing our stablecoins, USDC and EURC. Reserve income was 94.0%95.2% and 96.4%94.6% of our total revenue in the three and six months ended MarchJune 31,30, 20262026, respectively. Reserve income was 96.4% of our total revenue in both the three and 2025,six respectively.months ended June 30, 2025. We earn reserve income on the reserve assets backing our stablecoins in circulation at interest rates close to the prevailing SOFR during the applicable periods. We term the rate of return generated on assets held in reserve as the “reserve return rate”. See “—Key operating indicators and financial results” for the calculation of reserve return rate. The reserve income that we generate is a function of (i) our stablecoins in circulation over a given period and (ii) the reserve return rate.
In addition to revenue from reserve income on the reserve assets backing our stablecoins, we continue to expand product offerings and services that benefit from and support the growth of our platform and the utility of Circle Digital Assets. Our other products contributed 6.0%between 4.8% and 3.6%5.4% of Circle’s total revenue in both the three and six months ended MarchJune 31,30, 20262026, respectively. Our other products contributed 3.6% of Circle's total revenue in both the three and 2025six respectively.months ended June 30, 2025. We believe these and other new product and service offerings will contribute to the growth of our platform and the use of Circle Digital Assets, and over time drive a flywheel of growth that has been the hallmark of successful internet-driven networks. We also expect growth in our network to drive increases in our stablecoins in circulation and thereby drive our reserve income. We anticipate growing these offerings in the coming years, diversifying our revenue profile.
•Arc Blockchain and Related Developer Infrastructure – Arc is our open, Layer-1 blockchain purpose-built to bring real world economic activity onchain, supported by our Agent Stack (consisting of Agent Wallets, Nanopayments, Agent Marketplace and Circle CLI), core developer toolsservices (including App Kits, Circle Wallets and Circle Contracts) and interoperability services (including CCTP and Gateway) designed to reduce complexity and help developers and enterprises build and operate onchain applications that move value across networks.
As previously announced,announced in October 2025, we launched the public testnet of Arc, our open, Layer-1 blockchain network purpose-built to unite programmable money and onchain innovation with real-world economic activity. Since then, more than 100 participants spanning banking, capital markets, digital assets, payments, and technology have engaged with the Arc network. As of MarchJune 31,30, 2026, since the launch of Arc testnet in October 2025, Arc testnet has processed 244.1502 million cumulative transactions and 3.62.8 million cumulative transacting contracts.wallets. InPrivate addition,mainnet was launched in theMay first2026, quarterwith 100 + partners as of 2026July alone,20, 1.62026, millionspanning uniquecapital walletsmarkets, transacteddigital atassets, leastpayments, onceand on Arc testnet.technology. Building on this momentum and continued ecosystem engagement, we expect to launch Arc on mainnet thisin year.September 2026.
OnDuring Maythe 8,three months ended June 30, 2026, we entered into token purchase agreements with certain institutional investors, led by a16z crypto, pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell to such purchasers an aggregate of 740807.5 million ARC Tokens. The offer and sale of the tokens pursuant to the token purchase agreements was conducted as a private placement exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) thereof and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D promulgated thereunder. Each purchaser has agreed to a lock-up restriction prohibiting the direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or other disposition of any ARC Tokens acquired in the presale for a period of not less than one year from the date of the Arc network’s transition to a Proof-of-Stake or a delegated Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, and may be subject to additional restrictions on transfer until the date that is four years following such transition date.
The ARC Tokens were offered and sold at a purchase price of $0.30 per token, implying a fully diluted network valuation of $3.0 billion and resulting in estimated aggregate gross proceeds to us of approximately $222.0$242.2 million. The token purchase agreements and related agreements provide for repayment rights in specified circumstances, including if the ARC Tokens are not delivered or if the Arc network has not completed the transition to a Proof-of-Stake or a delegated Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism on or before May 8, 2028, or if certain purchaser-specific legal, regulatory, or compliance-related conditions are not satisfied.
Please see the section titled “Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Arc and ARC Tokens” of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 11, 2026 for additional discussion about Arc and the ARC Token.
Key Operating Indicators and FinancialsFinancial Results
CCT
(1) When calculating USDC in circulation, we exclude: (a) “tokens allowed but not issued,” which are tokens that exist on the Algorand, Hedera, Polkadot, and Solana blockchains due to the technical implementation of USDC on those blockchains. These tokens are held by us in restricted, segregated “tokens allowed but not issued” blockchain addresses. We do not receive any funds for their creation, and they are not redeemable for the U.S. dollar. These tokens are restricted for use while held in such blockchain addresses. These tokens cannot be redeemed for the U.S. dollar as the private keys are securely controlled by us and the blockchain addresses are not configured to allow redemption requests to be established by Circle Mint. When a minting request is received for USDC on these blockchains and the funds underlying such request are received, the corresponding amount of “tokens allowed but not issued” is transferred from the segregated “tokens allowed but not issued” addresses to the minting address via a system controlled process administered by us, at which point the tokens are considered to be USDC in circulation; (b) “access denied tokens,” which are tokens that are restricted from being accessed by the holder to comply with a law, regulation, or legal order from a duly recognized and authorized court of competent jurisdiction, or governmental or other authority with jurisdiction over us. When these tokens were originally issued (i.e., before they were restricted from being accessed), we received the equivalent amount of fiat currency in connection with their original minting. Upon determination that a token should be an “access denied token,” we restrict the access of the holder to such token and transfer the reserves relating to such token to a segregated bank account specifically for “access denied tokens.” The assets in such segregated bank account constitute a component of USDC reserves, and we do not extinguish the associated liability until the segregated reserve funds are transferred to the relevant law enforcement agency or government body or until the access denial request is reversed and a subsequent redemption request is made by the stablecoin holder. As of MarchJune 31,30, 2026 and 2025, there were $120.9$123.2 million and $101.0$166.6 million of “access denied tokens,” respectively; and (c) “pending burns”, which are USDC balances held within our smart contracts that are pending finalization on the blockchain. We exclude these tokens because they are not used for transactions and thus do not reflect our platform’s breadth, which as noted below, is the principal purpose for which we present USDC in circulation, end of period and USDC in circulation, average of period. We include corporate-held USDC (i.e., USDC held by us), as we routinely use USDC to pay for distribution, transaction, and other costs as well as operating expenses and thus corporate-held USDC contributes to our platform’s breadth. As of MarchJune 31,30, 2026 and 2025, there were $792.7$889.3 million and $274.5$588.3 million of corporate-held USDC, respectively.
(4) Net income (loss) from continuing operations margin is calculated as Net income (loss) from continuing operations divided by Total revenue and reserve income.
Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, is calculated as net income (loss) from continuing operations excluding: net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests, depreciation and amortization expenses; interest expense, net of amortization of discounts and premiums; interest income; income tax expense (benefit); stock-based compensation expense and payroll tax expense related to stock-based compensation; certain legal expenses; realized and unrealized (gains) losses, net, on digital assets held for investment, other related investments and strategic investments; realized (gains) losses on available-for-sale debt securities; impairment losses on strategic investments; restructuring expenses; acquisition-related costs; change in fair value of convertible debt, warrant liability, embedded derivatives and U.S. Treasury securities; charitable contributions to Circle Foundation; losses on sale of long-lived assets; and foreign currency exchange (gains) losses. Adjusted EBITDA is a key measure used by our management and board of directors to monitor and evaluate the growth and performance of our business operations, facilitate internal comparisons of the historical operating performance of our business operations, facilitate external comparisons of the results of our overall business to the historical operating performance of other companies that may have different capital structures or operating histories, review and assess the performance of our management team and other employees, and prepare budgets and evaluate strategic planning decisions regarding future operating investments. See “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) from continuing operations, the most closely comparable GAAP measure, and additional information about the limitations of our non-GAAP measures.
We incur distribution costs to incentivize distributors to use and distribute our stablecoins, for example, Coinbase, Binance, and others. Under the Collaboration Agreement, Coinbase receives allocations based on the amount of USDC held on its platform after our issuer retention, and Coinbase also receives half of the remaining amount tied to broader ecosystem growth after amounts paid to any approved third-party ecosystem participants pursuant to our Stablecoin Ecosystem Agreement. These deductions are accounted for as components of the overall arrangement with Coinbase as we are not providing a distinct service to issue stablecoins and manage the associated reserves. The Collaboration Agreement is accounted for as an executory contract and reflected in distributionDistribution and transaction costs inon our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. ForDuring the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026 and 2025, we incurred $330.6$324.6 million and $303.2$332.3 million, respectively of distribution costs in connection with our agreements with Coinbase, and during the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, we incurred $655.3 million and $635.5 million respectively, of distribution costs in connection with our agreements with Coinbase. We expect our distribution expense to increase in the future, as we add distributors and approved participants. Our distribution expense will also increase to the extent our reserve income increases over time. We also anticipate new distribution arrangements may differ depending on our negotiations with our distributors and the circumstances in our evolving industry.
Other costs primarily comprise expenses incurred as a result of facilitating and delivering products and services, including the certain fees related to the issuance of USYC and other costs to participate in activities that enhance the utility of Circle Digital AssetsAssets, stablecoinsCircle Applications and our infrastructure.
General and administrative expenses include costs incurred to support our business operations. Specifically, expenses incurred related to insurance policies, dues and subscriptions, legal and professional services, bank fees, rent, travel and business lodging, and contributions and donations. We expect general and administrative expenses to grow as we continue to invest to support the overall growth of our business.
Depreciation and amortization expenses are incurred from the amortization of internally developed software, and from the amortization of intangible assets acquired in business combinations and asset acquisitions such as the technology platform,platforms, customer relationships, brand names, and licenses. We expect that our depreciation and amortization expenses will increase in future periods as we continue to invest in the development of our various digital platforms.
IT infrastructure costs include costs incurred in operating and maintaining our platform, including network, website hosting, and infrastructure costs. IT infrastructure costs also include software and technology costs incurred to support our general business operations including cloud hosting costs, cybersecurity, electronic communications archiving software, change management, and compliance technology such as AML and KYC software.software, as well as costs related to the use of AI-enabled tools and capabilities. We expect IT infrastructure costs to grow as we continue to support the overall growth of our business.
Digital assets are measured at fair value. Fair value measurements for digital assets are based on quoted market prices in active markets. Gains and losses upon sale of digital assets are measured as the difference between the cash proceeds and the carrying basis of the digital assets as determined on a first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) basis for each pool of digital assets.
Other income (expense), net
•Interest income on corporate cash and cash equivalents balances;
Reserve income. Reserve income increased by $94.6$33.5 million, or 17.0%,5.3%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025, of which approximately $200.9$147.4 million of the increase is attributable to a 39.1%25.2% increase in average daily USDC in circulation reflecting increased demand for Circle Digital Assets,stablecoins, as well as expanded strategic partnerships and integrations. This was largely offset by a decrease of approximately $106.3$113.9 million attributable to a 66 basis point decline in the average yields reflecting interest rate actions undertaken by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Other revenue. Other revenue increased by $21.0$9.8 million, or 101.5%,41.1%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025, due to aan $21.9$11.1 million increase driven by additional integration services performed, increasedas blockchainwell rewardsas revenue,an increase in fund management fees and redemption fees related to our Circle stablecoins,Tokenized Funds and fundCircle managementstablecoins, fees. This isrespectively, offset by a $1.2$1.5 million decrease in the redemption fees related to our Circle Tokenized Funds.
Distribution, transaction and other costs
Distribution and transaction costs. Distribution and transaction costs increased by $58.1$3.9 million, or 16.7%,1.0%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025, largely driven by aan $27.4$11.4 million increase in distribution costs due to increased activity with new and existing strategic distribution partnerships. This is largely offset by a $7.7 million decrease in distribution costs paid to Coinbase asdue to a combineddecrease resultin Coinbase's share of increasedthe reservetotal incomeaverage and theirUSDC on-platform balances, along with an increase of $14.0 million, and $16.6 million in other distribution costs related to Binance and other strategic distribution partnerships, respectively.balances.
Other costs. Other costs increased by $1.0$1.6 million, or 311.6%,337.4%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025, largely driven by a $0.7$1.4 million increase in incentive costs for USYC issuance resulting from increased activity.
Compensation expenses. Compensation expenses increaseddecreased by $62.5$369.4 million, or 82.7%,73.4%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025, driven by a $39.1$423.8 million increase inof stock-based compensation expense primarilyrecognized during the three months ended June 30, 2025 related to the vesting of RSUsRSUs, for which,which the service-based condition had been met prior to the IPOIPO, and the liquidity-event related performance condition was met upon the completion of the IPO and upon the commencement of trading of our Class A common stock on the NYSE andduring relatedthe tothree months ended June 30, 2025. Excluding the above impact, there was an increase in the issuance of RSUs,$42.5 due to increasemillion in averagestock-based headcount,compensation and an increase in the fair value of our Class A common stock. In addition, there was a $11.1 million increase in payroll taxes primarily related to the vesting of equity awardsexpense and an increase of $10.7$9.8 million in salaries, wages and bonus expensesexpenses, both of which were due to an increase in average headcount.
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by $26.6$23.1 million, or 86.6%,53.6%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025, largely duedriven toby ana $11.9$12.8 million increase in legal, professional and consulting fees, a $5.8 million increase in contributions and donations, and a $4.2$2.8 million increase in travel and entertainment costs due to Company events and associated travel expenses.expenses, a $2.2 million increase in contributions and donations, and a $1.8 million increase in audit and related fees.
Depreciation and amortization expenses. Depreciation and amortization expenses increased by $12.9$15.7 million, or 92.8%,110.4%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025, largely due to ana $11.5$13.4 million and $1.9 million increase in amortization expense of internally developed software,software and aacquired $0.6intangible millionassets, increase in depreciation.respectively.
IT infrastructure costs. IT infrastructure costs increased by $5.1$7.6 million, or 65.8%,86.7%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025, due to a $5.1$4.5 million increase in costs associated with software support and license costs to facilitate infrastructure build-out and enhanced product offerings.offerings and a $3.1 million increase in costs related to use of AI-enabled tools and capabilities.
Marketing expenses. Marketing expenses increased by $2.8$0.7 million, or 71.4%,9.4%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025, driven by a $1.5$0.9 million increasedincrease in spending inon marketing, advertising and sponsorship campaigns, andoffset by a $1.2decrease of $0.2 million increase in conference expenses.
Digital assets losses (gains). Digital assets losses (gains) remained flat for the three months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2025.
Digital assets losses (gains). Digital assets losses (gains) changed by $5.4 million, or 86.3%, for the three months ended March 31, 2026, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2025, primarily due to $4.5 million in losses recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2025 related to the deprecation of certain legacy products, as well as a $0.9 million decrease in losses due to changes in the prices of digital assets driven by market fluctuations.
Other income (expense), net. Other income (expense), net changed by $14.8$178.4 million, or 476.5%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025, due to athe $5.7non-recurrence of prior-year fair value losses of $168.5 million increase in interest income received on corporate cash balances, a $5.7 million increase in unrealized gains on investments, a $5.7 million increase in income from favorable foreign currency exchange rate movements, and a $4.9 million decline in losses related to changes in the fair value of investments - derivatives. This was offset by a $6.5 million loss as a combined result of the increase in the fair value of our convertible notes duethat to an increase in the price of our Class A common stock, and the conversion of the remaining outstanding convertible notesconverted into Class A common stock in the first quarter of 2026. In addition, there was a $9.5 million increase in income from favorable foreign currency exchange rate movements and a $4.6 million increase in interest income received on corporate cash and cash equivalents balances.
Income tax expense (benefit). Income tax expense (benefit) decreasedincreased by $23.6$8.0 million, or 94.3%,204.8%, for the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to the three months ended MarchJune 31,30, 2025,2025. The increase primarily duereflects tosignificant increasedincremental U.S. tax benefits recognized in the prior-year quarter from IPO-related stock-based compensation anddeductions, lowerwhich pre-taxpartially income.offset previously accrued U.S. income tax expense.
Reserve income. Reserve income increased by $128.1 million, or 10.7%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, of which approximately $348.0 million of the increase is attributable to a 31.7% increase in average daily USDC in circulation reflecting increased demand for Circle stablecoins, as well as expanded strategic partnerships and integrations. This was largely offset by a decrease of approximately $220.0 million which was attributable to a 66 basis point decline in the average yields reflecting interest rate actions undertaken by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Other revenue. Other revenue increased by $30.7 million, or 69.1%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, due to a $31.4 million increase driven by additional integration services performed, blockchain rewards revenue, and higher fund management fees and redemption fees related to our Circle Tokenized Funds and Circle stablecoins, respectively, offset by a $1.4 million decrease in the redemption fees related to our Circle Tokenized Funds.
Distribution and transaction costs. Distribution and transaction costs increased by $62.0 million, or 8.2%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, driven by a $42.0 million increase in distribution costs due to increased activity with new and existing strategic distribution partnerships and a $19.8 million increase in distribution costs paid to Coinbase due to increased reserve income partially offset by a decrease in Coinbase's share of the total average USDC on-platform balances.
Other costs. Other costs increased by $2.6 million, or 326.7%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, largely driven by a $2.2 million increase in incentive costs for USYC issuance resulting from increased activity.
Compensation expenses. Compensation expenses decreased by $306.9 million, or 53.0%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, driven by $423.8 million of stock-based compensation expense recognized during the six months ended June 30, 2025 related to the vesting of RSUs, for which the service-based condition had been met prior to the IPO, and the liquidity-event related performance condition was met upon the completion of the IPO and upon the commencement of trading of our Class A common stock on the NYSE during the six months ended June 30, 2025. Excluding the above impact, there was an increase of $81.6 million in stock-based compensation expense and a $20.5 million increase in salaries, wages and bonus expenses, both of which were due to an increase in average headcount. Additionally, there was an $11.8 million increase in payroll taxes primarily related to the vesting of equity awards.
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by $49.7 million, or 67.3%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, largely driven by a $24.7 million increase in legal, professional and consulting fees, an $8.0 million increase in contributions and donations, a $7.1 million increase in travel and entertainment costs due to Company events and associated travel expenses, and a $2.7 million increase in business insurance costs.
Depreciation and amortization expenses. Depreciation and amortization expenses increased by $28.6 million, or 101.7%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, due to a $24.9 million and $2.6 million increase in amortization expense of internally developed software and acquired intangible assets, respectively.
IT infrastructure costs. IT infrastructure costs increased $12.6 million, or 77.0%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, due to an $8.6 million increase in software support and license costs to facilitate infrastructure build-out and enhanced product offerings, and a $4.1 million increase in costs related to use of AI-enabled tools and capabilities.
Marketing expenses. Marketing expenses increased by $3.5 million, or 29.8%, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to six months ended June 30, 2025, driven by a $2.4 million increase in spending on marketing, advertising and sponsorship campaigns, and a $1.1 million increase in conference expenses.
Digital assets losses (gains). Digital assets losses (gains) changed by $5.4 million, or 97.2% for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, largely due to $4.5 million in losses recognized during the six months ended June 30, 2025 related to the deprecation of certain legacy products.
Other income (expense), net. Other income (expense), net changed by $193.2 million, for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025, due to the non-recurrence of prior-year fair value losses of $162.0 million related to the convertible notes that converted into Class A common stock in the first quarter of 2026. In addition, there was a $15.2 million increase in income from favorable foreign currency exchange rate movements, a $10.3 million increase in interest income received on corporate cash and cash equivalents balances, and a $7.5 million increase from favorable changes in unrealized gains and losses on investments.
Income tax expense (benefit). Income tax expense (benefit) decreased by $15.6 million, or 73.8% for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2025. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower U.S. income tax expense, as federal and state net operating loss carryforwards and stock-based compensation deductions reduced U.S. taxable income in 2026. The decrease was partially offset by IPO-related stock-based compensation tax benefits recognized in the prior-year period.
Cash and cash equivalents (including cash and cash equivalents segregated for corporate-held stablecoins). Cash and cash equivalents (including cash and cash equivalents segregated for corporate-held stablecoins) decreasedincreased by $39.1$270.4 million, or 1.7%,11.5%, as of MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to December 31, 2025. Refer to “— Liquidity and Capital Resources — Cash Flows” below for further discussion on the net cash flows from operating activities, investing activities and financing activities during the period.
Cash and cash equivalents segregated for the benefit of stablecoin holders. Cash and cash equivalents segregated for the benefit of stablecoin holders increaseddecreased by $1.8$1.9 billion, or 2.4%,2.5%, as of MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to December 31, 2025, due to a $1.8$2.0 billion increasedecrease in USDC in circulation. Refer to “— Liquidity and Capital Resources — Composition of USDC reserves” below for further discussion of the composition of the reserves.
Accounts receivable, net. Accounts receivable, net increased by $9.3$42.6 million, or 14.8%,67.7%, as of MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to December 31, 2025, duedriven toby a $12.1$28.0 million increase in accounts receivables related to integration services for new blockchain launches and maintenance and support fees and newa blockchain$20.2 launches,million increase from the ARC Token presale, offset by a $2.9$5.8 million increase in provision for expected credit losses and a decrease due to unfavorable changes in the fair value of certain embedded derivatives associated with digital assets receivable for integration services due to mark-to-market fluctuations in the underlying digital assets.services.
Prepaid expenses and other current assets. Prepaid expenses and other current assets increaseddecreased by $5.1$38.1 million, or 1.6%,11.8%, as of MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to December 31, 2025, driven by a $8.3 million increase in prepaid business travel and marketing expenses and a $5.7 million increase in special one-time compensation prepaid related to an asset acquisition that closed in January 2026, offset by a $8.4$25.6 million decrease in reserve income receivables due to lower average interest rates and reduced average holdings.holdings, and a $13.2 million decrease in income tax receivables.
Investments. Investments increased by $15.8$19.5 million, or 18.8%,23.1%, as of MarchJune 31,30, 2026 compared to December 31, 20252025, due to a $10.3$12.4 million increase in new strategic investments and a $5.5$6.5 million increase due to net unrealized gains on certain investments.
Digital assets. Digital assets increased by $20.0 million, or 23.1%, as of June 30, 2026 compared to December 31, 2025, due to a $19.3 million increase in purchases of digital assets, a $5.4 million increase in blockchain rewards revenue, and a $4.0 million increase in digital assets received for services, offset by an $8.8 million decrease due to mark-to-market fluctuations in prices of digital assets.
Intangible assets, net. Intangible assets, net increased $35.4 million, or 8.6%, as of June 30, 2026 compared to December 31, 2025, due to a $20.0 million increase in acquired patents, a $10.5 million increase in capitalization of internally developed software, net of amortization, and a $7.9 million increase in acquired intangible assets, net of amortization, related to an asset acquisition that closed in January 2026.
Deposits from stablecoin holders. Deposits from stablecoin holders increaseddecreased by $1.9$2.0 billion, or 2.5%,2.6%, as of MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to December 31, 2025. Refer to the “Cash and cash equivalents segregated for the benefit of stablecoin holders” narrative above for further discussion.
Accounts payable and accrued expenses. Accounts payable and accrued expenses decreasedincreased by $98.4$58.0 million, or 27.3%,16.1%, as of MarchJune 31,30, 2026, compared to December 31, 2025, due to a $49.1$68.4 million decreaseincrease in stablecoin redemption liabilities, anda $20.0 million increase related to an acquisition of patents, offset by a $46.6$29.5 million decrease in accrued compensation expenses primarily driven by payments of the year-end accrued bonus and payroll taxes in the first quarter of 2026.
CRCL insider buying and selling (Form 4)
Since 2026-04-11, insiders reported open-market purchases in 0 Form 4 filings and open-market sales in 47 filings (10 insiders, 32 trade dates, 2,479,613 shares, about $199.4M; 45 of these filings say the sales were made under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan). Net open-market shares: -2,479,613 (purchases minus sales); net value about -$199.4M.Totals add up every open-market (code P and S) line in those filings, using the prices reported in the filings. Awards, option exercises, tax withholding and gifts are listed below but not counted.
| Trade date | Insider | Transaction | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
13,035 | $82.75 | $1.1M |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
33,145 | $83.60 | $2.8M |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
8,666 | $84.54 | $732.6K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
1,354 | $85.24 | $115.4K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
351 | $82.75 | $29.0K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
894 | $83.60 | $74.7K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
234 | $84.54 | $19.8K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
37 | $85.24 | $3.2K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
352 | $82.75 | $29.1K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
894 | $83.60 | $74.7K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
234 | $84.54 | $19.8K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
36 | $85.24 | $3.1K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
352 | $82.75 | $29.1K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
894 | $83.60 | $74.7K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
233 | $84.54 | $19.7K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
37 | $85.24 | $3.2K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
352 | $82.75 | $29.1K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
895 | $83.60 | $74.8K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
233 | $84.54 | $19.7K |
| 2026-10-05 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
36 | $85.24 | $3.1K |
| 2026-10-02 | Fox-Geen Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
4,238 | $85.78 | $363.5K |
| 2026-10-02 | Razzaghi Hossein |
Open-market sale |
1,830 | $85.78 | $157.0K |
| 2026-10-02 | Schulz Tamara L |
Open-market sale |
1,194 | $85.78 | $102.4K |
| 2026-10-01 | Chandhok Nikhil |
Shares withheld for tax | 3,815 | $82.17 | $313.5K |
| 2026-10-01 | Fox-Geen Jeremy |
Shares withheld for tax |
3,876 | $82.17 | $318.5K |
| 2026-10-01 | Razzaghi Hossein |
Shares withheld for tax |
1,717 | $82.17 | $141.1K |
| 2026-10-01 | Schulz Tamara L |
Shares withheld for tax |
1,031 | $82.17 | $84.7K |
| 2026-10-01 | Tarbert Heath |
Shares withheld for tax | 7,988 | $82.17 | $656.4K |
| 2026-09-22 | Fox-Geen Jeremy |
Option exercise | 2,155 | $32.95 | $71.0K |
| 2026-09-22 | Fox-Geen Jeremy |
Option exercise | 598 | $48.45 | $29.0K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
36 | $100.34 | $3.6K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
10,991 | $96.50 | $1.1M |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
184 | $99.40 | $18.3K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
595 | $98.50 | $58.6K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
404 | $97.68 | $39.5K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
14,967 | $97.68 | $1.5M |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
22,073 | $98.50 | $2.2M |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
6,843 | $99.40 | $680.2K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
1,326 | $100.34 | $133.1K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
296 | $96.50 | $28.6K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
404 | $97.68 | $39.5K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
596 | $98.50 | $58.7K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
185 | $99.40 | $18.4K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
35 | $100.34 | $3.5K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
296 | $96.50 | $28.6K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
403 | $97.68 | $39.4K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
596 | $98.50 | $58.7K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
185 | $99.40 | $18.4K |
| 2026-09-08 | Allaire Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
297 | $96.50 | $28.7K |
| 2026-09-08 | Chandhok Nikhil |
Option exercise |
23,333 | $25.81 | $602.2K |
| 2026-09-08 | Chandhok Nikhil |
Open-market sale |
26,666 | $100.40 | $2.7M |
| 2026-09-04 | Chandhok Nikhil |
Option exercise |
15,496 | $25.81 | $400.0K |
| 2026-09-02 | Fox-Geen Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
8,120 | $87.87 | $713.5K |
| 2026-09-02 | Razzaghi Hossein |
Open-market sale |
7,458 | $87.87 | $655.3K |
| 2026-09-02 | Schulz Tamara L |
Open-market sale |
1,194 | $87.87 | $104.9K |
| 2026-09-01 | Chandhok Nikhil |
Shares withheld for tax | 7,603 | $95.55 | $726.5K |
| 2026-09-01 | Fox-Geen Jeremy |
Shares withheld for tax |
7,426 | $95.55 | $709.6K |
| 2026-09-01 | Fox-Geen Jeremy |
Open-market sale |
15,000 | $92.20 | $1.4M |
| 2026-09-01 | Fox-Geen Jeremy |
Option exercise |
15,000 | $10.11 | $151.7K |
| 2026-09-01 | Razzaghi Hossein |
Shares withheld for tax |
6,987 | $95.55 | $667.6K |
Well-known investors holding CRCL (13F)
| Investor | Quarter | Shares | Reported value | % of their 13F | Change vs prior quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARK Investment Management (Cathie Wood) | 2026-06-30 | 4,558,162 | $285.5M | 1.85% | Added 1% |
| Renaissance Technologies | 2026-06-30 | 2,033,035 | $127.3M | 0.18% | Added 13% |
| Baillie Gifford | 2026-06-30 | 976,627 | $61.2M | 0.06% | Added 179% |
| Citadel Advisors (Ken Griffin) | 2026-06-30 | 270,180 | $16.9M | 0.01% | Reduced 69% |
| AQR Capital Management (Cliff Asness) | 2026-06-30 | 243,477 | $15.2M | 0.01% | Reduced 36% |
| Two Sigma Investments | 2026-06-30 | 163,136 | $10.2M | 0.01% | Added 95% |
| Soros Fund Management | 2026-06-30 | 75,686 | $7.2M | — | Sold out |
| Gotham Asset Management (Joel Greenblatt) | 2026-06-30 | 29,389 | $1.8M | 0.0% | Reduced 56% |
| D. E. Shaw & Co. | 2026-06-30 | 27,976 | $1.8M | 0.0% | Reduced 99% |
| Polen Capital Management | 2026-06-30 | 13,098 | $1.2M | — | Sold out |
| Millennium Management (Israel Englander) | 2026-06-30 | 8,200 | $513.6K | 0.0% | Reduced 95% |
| Point72 Asset Management (Steve Cohen) | 2026-06-30 | 4,600 | $288.1K | 0.0% | New position |