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Circle and Polymarket announce a USDC integration, replacing bridged assets with native USDC to improve settlement speed, security, and trust.
Author: Kritika Gupta
Steady attention without excessive speculation.
6th February 2026– Circle Internet Group, the issuer of USDC, has announced a strategic partnership with Polymarket, the world’s largest prediction market platform. The collaboration, revealed on February 5, 2026, marks the Circle Polymarket USDC integration, a move that upgrades Polymarket’s settlement infrastructure from bridged USDC (USDC.e) on Polygon to native USDC.
This upgrade aims to improve execution speed, reduce transaction friction, and increase scalability. In addition, it strengthens trust by using regulated, dollar-redeemable collateral issued directly by Circle. As prediction markets gain traction for real-world forecasting and financial hedging, this integration highlights the growing role of stablecoins in efficient onchain financial systems.
High Signal Summary For A Quick Glance
The rapid expansion of prediction markets drove the partnership between Circle and Polymarket. Polymarket, founded in 2020 by Shayne Coplan, experienced explosive growth during major global events, most notably the 2024 U.S. presidential election. During that period, the platform processed billions of dollars in trading volume.
By 2025, Polymarket recorded more than $22 billion in notional trading volume in its first eleven months, representing a 57 percent year-over-year increase. Moreover, monthly trading volume reached $7.66 billion in January 2026, while the platform’s user base expanded to more than 338,000 traders. As usage scaled, limitations in bridged USDC infrastructure became more visible. Cross-chain bridges introduced added latency, higher fees, and increased security risks, which constrained long-term scalability.
Consequently, Polymarket sought a more resilient settlement layer. The Circle Polymarket USDC integration emerged as a response to these operational constraints, providing a native stablecoin solution aligned with institutional standards.
Key milestones related to this development
Shayne Coplan launches Polymarket as an onchain prediction market platform.
Polymarket uses bridged USDC on Polygon as stablecoin collateral for market settlements.
High-stakes election markets accelerate growth and stress settlement infrastructure at scale.
Polymarket processes over $22B in notional trades, exposing bridge friction and operational constraints.
Monthly volume reaches $7.66B and active traders exceed 338,000, increasing demand for reliable settlement.
Polymarket confirms a migration plan from USDC.e to native USDC to reduce bridge risk and improve settlement efficiency.
Polymarket transitions collateral and settlement flows to native USDC across supported markets.
Under the agreement, Polymarket will migrate all trading collateral from bridged USDC.e to native USDC over the coming months. Circle issues native USDC through regulated entities, and it remains fully backed and redeemable one-to-one for U.S. dollars. Consequently, Polymarket will eliminate reliance on intermediary bridge mechanisms that have historically introduced vulnerabilities and inefficiencies.
This transition improves market integrity by standardizing settlements around a transparent, dollar-denominated asset. Users benefit from lower fees, faster transaction finality, and reduced exposure to bridge-related risks. In turn, Polymarket can support higher trading volumes with more predictable settlement behavior.
At the same time, the partnership aligns with Circle’s broader strategy to embed USDC into specialized onchain applications. Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire emphasized that stablecoin infrastructure can support real-world financial tools at global scale. For Polymarket, this upgrade arrives at a critical growth phase following its 2025 partnerships with DraftKings and the UFC, which expanded its reach into mainstream sports and entertainment markets.
The integration carries broader implications for the crypto and DeFi ecosystem. Bridge-related exploits have historically undermined confidence across onchain markets. By adopting native USDC, Polymarket sets a precedent that other prediction and derivatives platforms may follow. The Circle Polymarket USDC integration could therefore influence infrastructure standards across event-based financial products.
Looking ahead, analysts expect stablecoin-backed prediction markets to expand beyond elections and sports into areas like climate forecasting, economic indicators, and geopolitical risk assessment. However, regulatory oversight and systemic risk management will remain key challenges as volumes scale.
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