COINOTAG News reported on December 9 that Aleo co‑founder Howard Wu told Fortune magazine about a collaboration with Circle to develop a private version of the stablecoin USDCx, designed to obscure transaction history. The claim, relayed from a Fortune interview, signals a privacy‑centric path for mainstream stablecoins.

In this framing, USDCx privacy features would aim to balance user confidentiality with issuer governance and regulatory expectations. The arrangement underscores ongoing industry interest in selective data protection while preserving auditable controls essential for compliance and risk management in digital asset markets.

Markets and auditors will look for independent confirmation and a clear roadmap before pricing implications emerge. If substantiated, the project could reshape privacy discourse around stablecoins and prompt sharper scrutiny of privacy tech within regulated token ecosystems.