USD Coin (USDC-USD) is doing what it was built to do on December 17, 2025: trade extremely close to $1.00.
At the time of writing, CoinGecko shows USDC at about $0.9999 with a tight 24-hour range roughly between ~$0.9987 and ~$1.00—a small band that reflects normal liquidity and exchange-to-exchange differences, not “volatility” in the way traders think about Bitcoin or Ethereum. [1]
Meanwhile, CoinMarketCap also keeps USDC essentially at par, listing the token around $0.9997 and placing 24-hour trading volume in the low tens of billions (a reminder that stablecoins are used heavily as “cash legs” across exchanges and settlement flows). [2]
So why is USDC suddenly in the headlines if the price hasn’t moved? Because the story on Dec. 17 isn’t the price—it’s the plumbing: payments giants and regulators are moving stablecoins closer to the center of the U.S. financial system.
Below is a news-driven, fundamentals-first look at USDC price today, the USDC-USD forecast, and the key developments shaping sentiment on December 17, 2025.
USDC price today: where USD Coin is trading on Dec. 17, 2025
Across major crypto price trackers, USDC is hovering at (or just under) $1.00:
- USDC-USD price: about $0.9999 [3]
- 24-hour range: roughly $0.9987 to $1.00 [4]
- Market cap / supply scale: roughly $78B market cap and ~78B circulating supply on large trackers [5]
It’s normal for USDC to print slightly below (or above) $1.00 by a few ten-thousandths of a dollar, depending on:
- exchange fees and spreads,
- short-term demand for on-exchange “cash,”
- redemption and issuance flows,
- and momentary liquidity imbalances during market stress.
That’s also why two reputable trackers can show slightly different last prices at the same moment—USDC is trading across many venues.
Why USDC usually stays near $1 (and why it still can drift)
USDC is a fiat-backed stablecoin designed for payments, trading, and settlement—not for price appreciation. Many “price prediction” articles about USDC ultimately converge on the obvious base case: USDC remains near $1 because that is its purpose and market structure. [6]
That said, USDC is not a magic token. A stablecoin can temporarily drift from peg if:
- redemptions spike faster than liquidity can move,
- counterparties get cautious,
- regulatory headlines change risk perceptions,
- or market infrastructure breaks (exchanges, rails, or bridges).
The market’s job is to constantly test the peg; the issuer’s job is to keep redemption confidence high.
The biggest USDC news driving attention on Dec. 17: Visa expands USDC settlement in the U.S.
The dominant headline behind today’s spike in attention is Visa’s U.S. expansion of stablecoin settlement using Circle’s USDC.
What Visa announced
In a December 16, 2025 press release (still the key driver of today’s coverage and analysis), Visa said it is launching USDC settlement in the United States, letting U.S. issuer and acquirer partners settle with Visa in Circle’s USDC, which Visa describes as “fully reserved” and “dollar-denominated.” [7]
Visa also emphasized the operational angle:
- seven-day settlement availability
- faster funds movement over blockchains
- no change to the consumer card experience [8]
Who’s involved and what chain is being used
Visa named Cross River Bank and Lead Bank as initial participants, and said they have started settling with Visa in USDC over the Solana blockchain, with broader U.S. availability planned through 2026. [9]
Why this matters for USDC (even if the price doesn’t move)
This doesn’t “pump” USDC the way a crypto rally pumps a volatile token—but it can:
- increase transactional demand for USDC as a settlement asset,
- deepen USDC’s integration into treasury workflows,
- and potentially expand the number of institutions that treat USDC as a legitimate settlement instrument.
Visa also pointed to scale: it said monthly stablecoin settlement volume passed a $3.5B annualized run rate as of Nov. 30. [10]
Arc: Visa points to Circle’s new chain plans
Another detail that grabbed attention in industry commentary: Visa said it is a design partner for Arc, described as a new Layer-1 blockchain developed by Circle (in public testnet), and that Visa plans to utilize Arc for USDC settlement and operate a validator node once it goes live. [11]
Separately, Nasdaq’s coverage framed the move as part of Visa positioning itself as a bridge between traditional rails and onchain infrastructure, including an advisory practice to guide institutions on stablecoin implementation. [12]
The other major “today” headline: FDIC moves to implement the GENIUS Act stablecoin framework
In parallel with Visa’s announcement, U.S. regulators are also advancing rules around stablecoin issuance—another reason stablecoins are dominating today’s news cycle.
FDIC proposal: how banks can apply to issue payment stablecoins
The FDIC announced it approved a notice of proposed rulemaking that would implement the application provisions under the GENIUS Act, establishing how FDIC-supervised institutions would apply to issue payment stablecoins through a subsidiary. [13]
In the FDIC’s December 16 board-meeting statement, the agency described this as its first action to implement the GENIUS Act and signaled more rulemaking work ahead (capital, liquidity, and risk-management requirements). [14]
Why the FDIC news matters to USDC holders
This is not “about USDC” directly—but it changes the environment USDC operates in:
- More clarity can raise institutional comfort with stablecoins as a category.
- More competition is possible if insured banks issue their own regulated payment stablecoins.
- Compliance expectations around reserves, governance, and supervision can shape what stablecoins survive and scale.
A Dec. 17 industry roundup summarized the moment bluntly: stablecoins are moving deeper into the U.S. financial system, citing Visa’s expansion and the FDIC’s proposal. [15]
GENIUS Act: the legal foundation behind today’s regulatory momentum
Multiple credible sources anchor today’s regulatory storyline to the GENIUS Act:
- The White House published a fact sheet saying President Donald J. Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law on July 18, 2025. [16]
- Congress.gov lists the bill as S.1582 — GENIUS Act (119th Congress). [17]
- The FDIC’s statement also references the statute as the framework for U.S. payment stablecoin issuance. [18]
For USDC watchers, the key takeaway is that the U.S. is moving from “guidance and enforcement” toward a more explicit statutory + rulemaking regime for stablecoins.
Circle, reserves, and transparency: what “peg confidence” is built on
Because USDC is designed to stay around $1.00, the real fundamentals question is not “Where is the price going?” but:
Will the market continue to believe USDC can be redeemed reliably at $1?
Circle’s positioning centers on disclosures and attestations:
- Circle says USDC reserve holdings are disclosed on a weekly basis, and that a Big Four accounting firm provides monthly third-party assurance, prepared according to AICPA attestation standards. [19]
- Circle’s USDC page also highlights the scale of circulation (around $78.3B USDC in circulation as of Dec. 15, 2025). [20]
And from a key U.S. regulatory filing, Circle described its reserve posture (as of March 31, 2025) as largely held in a government money market fund managed by BlackRock (Circle Reserve Fund), with assets held in custody at BNY—while also noting money market fund shares are not FDIC-insured. [21]
That last point is important: USDC is not the same thing as a bank deposit, even if it is designed to be stable.
Global context: not every regulator sees stablecoins as a net positive
While U.S. policy is moving toward formal frameworks, other jurisdictions remain skeptical.
For example, Reuters reported that India’s central bank deputy governor warned stablecoins can pose macro and systemic risks and argued they offer no benefits beyond fiat money, while also highlighting concerns around illicit payments and monetary stability. [22]
This matters for USDC because stablecoins are global instruments—policy fragmentation can affect access, distribution, and growth even if the USD peg itself holds.
USDC-USD forecast: what to expect next (and what could break the pattern)
Base case forecast: USDC stays near $1.00
USDC’s most likely forecast is the simplest:
- USDC remains very close to $1.00 in the near term and over longer horizons, with small deviations reflecting market microstructure. [23]
Visa expanding settlement options doesn’t change the peg mechanism—it potentially changes USDC usage. The “price forecast,” in other words, is still a peg forecast.
Near-term trading expectation: tight band around $1
Given today’s observed behavior, a reasonable expectation is that USDC continues to trade in a very tight range—fractions of a cent—unless a specific stress catalyst emerges (exchange disruption, major redemption shock, sudden regulatory action, or issuer-specific news). [24]
Medium-term (2026) outlook: adoption up, price flat
The more interesting forecast is not price, but adoption and market structure:
- Visa plans broader U.S. availability through 2026 for USDC settlement. [25]
- The FDIC is starting the rulemaking process for bank-issued payment stablecoins under the GENIUS Act, with comments and follow-on proposals expected. [26]
That combination points to a plausible 2026 scenario where:
- stablecoins are used more like settlement instruments,
- compliance expectations tighten,
- and USDC competes not only with other nonbank stablecoins, but potentially with bank-issued alternatives.
What could cause USDC to trade meaningfully off-peg?
While day-to-day deviations are tiny, sustained off-peg moves are usually about confidence and liquidity. Watch for:
- Redemption/liquidity stress
- If markets doubt rapid redemption at par, USDC could trade below $1.
- Regulatory shocks
- New rules can be positive (clarity) or disruptive (access restrictions).
- Operational or counterparty events
- Exchange outages, banking rail interruptions, or settlement constraints.
- Stablecoin contagion / reputation effects
- Even unrelated stablecoin failures can cause “flight-to-quality” or broad risk-off moves. By contrast, algorithmic stablecoin collapses remain cautionary examples of how a “peg narrative” can break under stress. [27]
Bottom line
On Dec. 17, 2025, USDC-USD is essentially $1.00, and that’s the point. [28]
The real story behind today’s search surge is structural:
- Visa is expanding USDC settlement for U.S. partners (with Solana as the initial chain and broader rollout planned through 2026). [29]
- The FDIC is moving forward on GENIUS Act implementation for bank-issued payment stablecoins. [30]
- Regulatory integration is accelerating in the U.S., while skepticism remains in other major jurisdictions. [31]
USDC price forecast: still a $1 peg—unless the market is given a reason to doubt redemption confidence.
USDC adoption forecast: the next phase looks less like crypto speculation and more like payments infrastructure.
References
1. www.coingecko.com, 2. coinmarketcap.com, 3. www.coingecko.com, 4. www.coingecko.com, 5. coinmarketcap.com, 6. www.nasdaq.com, 7. investor.visa.com, 8. investor.visa.com, 9. investor.visa.com, 10. investor.visa.com, 11. investor.visa.com, 12. www.nasdaq.com, 13. www.fdic.gov, 14. www.fdic.gov, 15. decrypt.co, 16. www.whitehouse.gov, 17. www.congress.gov, 18. www.fdic.gov, 19. www.circle.com, 20. www.circle.com, 21. www.sec.gov, 22. www.reuters.com, 23. www.nasdaq.com, 24. www.coingecko.com, 25. investor.visa.com, 26. www.fdic.gov, 27. www.tomshardware.com, 28. www.coingecko.com, 29. investor.visa.com, 30. www.fdic.gov, 31. www.reuters.com
