A $100 Million Equity Stake @Binance has taken a $100 million equity stake in @Circle, acquiring 1,237,011 Class A shares at $80.84 per share through a private placement. The private placemen
@Binance has taken a $100 million equity stake in @Circle, acquiring 1,237,011 Class A shares at $80.84 per share through a private placement. The private placement closed on September 17, according to an SEC filing published on September 22.The price reflected a discount to Circle's market value before the sale.
A subsidiary of Circle signed the agreement with Binance on September 17, 2026, to expand their strategic cooperation in promoting USDC. The details were disclosed in a Form 8-K filed by Circle Internet Group with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 22, 2026.
Binance cannot sell, transfer, or hedge the shares for as long as two years, subject to certain exceptions, but retains the right to vote them.
Under the expanded five-year partnership, Circle will pay Binance monthly incentives tied to USDC holdings, while Binance will promote the stablecoin on its platform. Specifically, the incentive fee will be calculated based on the percentage of $USDC held through Circle's Modular Smart Contract Wallet technology. The new agreement supersedes previous arrangements signed in 2024 and 2025.
The two companies had already formalized a partnership in December 2024 focused on expanding USDC adoption, which included a one-time fee of approximately $60 million paid to Binance, along with ongoing incentives tied to USDC treasury holdings on the exchange.
Through the partnership, Binance will make USDC more extensively available across its full suite of products and services, giving its more than 240 million global users access to USDC for trading, saving, and payments applications.
The deal brings together the world's largest crypto exchange and one of the most prominent regulated stablecoin issuers. USDC supply has been near record highs of $78 billion, with stablecoin adoption increasingly diverging from broader crypto market cycles. The investment and expanded agreement are expected to further drive USDC liquidity and adoption across Binance platforms.
Sources:CoinDesk: Binance buys $100 million Circle stake in five-year USDC promotion dealCircle Press Release: Circle and Binance Enter into a Strategic PartnershipChainCatcher: Binance subscribed to Circle Class A shares via private placement
