Safe and Circle Partnership Could Position USDC as Preferred Stablecoin for Institutional Self-Custody and On-Chain Treasury

• Institutional-grade custody with native USDC support.

• Cross-chain USDC transfers via CCTP remove wrapped-token friction and reduce reliance on intermediaries.

• Dune Analytics reports Safe has >$60B TVL and has moved over $57B in USDC since 2023, with $25.3B in September transfers.

Safe integrates USDC with Circle for institutional on-chain custody and treasury management — learn how this partnership streamlines compliance, liquidity access, and cross-chain transfers. Read more from COINOTAG.

Published: October 14, 2025. Updated: October 14, 2025. Author/Organization: COINOTAG.

What is Safe’s integration with USDC?

Safe’s USDC integration is a partnership with Circle that embeds fully backed USDC into Safe’s programmable, policy-aware smart accounts to serve institutional self-custody and on-chain treasury needs. The collaboration combines onboarding, policy-based approvals, role-based spending controls, and direct access to DeFi liquidity for compliant capital management.

How does Safe use Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP)?

Safe will implement Circle’s CCTP to enable native USDC minting and burning across supported chains. CCTP moves balances natively between networks and eliminates the need for wrapped tokens. This reduces operational complexity and counterparty reliance, enabling institutions to shift treasury positions across chains with auditable, on-chain flows certified by Circle and Safe’s policy layers.

📣 MAJOR NEWS: safefndn and circle are partnering to accelerate USDC adoption on Safe smart accounts and establish USDC as the institutional standard for self-custody & DeFi

🟢 Over $57 billion in USDC has moved through Safe since 2023. In the past 18 months, institutional momentum has accelerated.

— Safe.eth (@safe) October 14, 2025

Key details and data behind the partnership

According to Safe’s announcement and supporting on-chain analytics from Dune Analytics, Safe has a total locked value exceeding $60 billion and processes roughly 0.53% of all Ethereum transactions. By chain, Worldchain accounts for 62.32% of transactions within the custody protocol. Safe reported processing approximately 724 billion transactions across all chains to date, with Q1 2025 alone recording 189.6 billion transactions — a 65% quarter-over-quarter increase.

Safe disclosed that more than $57 billion in USDC has flowed through the platform since 2023, including $25.3 billion in USDC transfers during September, and that the protocol currently secures $2.5 billion in USDC reserves for institutional operations.

What does this mean for institutional treasury operations?

The Safe–Circle integration standardizes fiat-denominated on-chain operations. For treasurers, it delivers:

• Policy-based controls — automated approval workflows and role-based spend limits embedded into smart accounts.

• Compliance alignment — Circle’s regulated stablecoin infrastructure paired with Safe’s audit trails helps institutions meet regulatory and internal compliance requirements.

• Direct DeFi liquidity access — programmable accounts that can route USDC into composable on-chain financial services while retaining self-custody.

“Institutional money flows into self-custody infrastructure and DeFi, and institutions need secure, scalable tools to keep up. With Circle, we’re positioning USDC as a core pillar of the Safe ecosystem, so Safe becomes a home for institutional stablecoin DeFi.”

– Lukas Schor, Co-founder of Safe and President of the Safe Ecosystem Foundation.

How has Circle’s market debut influenced this collaboration?

Circle’s NYSE listing earlier this year increased market visibility for USDC and related institutional services. Circle’s stock currently shows a market capitalization of approximately $31.09 billion and a one-year return of roughly 61.12%. The IPO cycle and subsequent trading volatility highlighted investor demand for regulated stablecoin infrastructure; Circle and Safe position the USDC product for high-assurance, large-scale treasury use.

Kash Razzaghi, Circle’s Chief Commercial Officer, noted that institutions seek trusted, scalable infrastructure to manage the on-chain transition and cited Safe’s platform as a demonstrated venue for enterprise USDC adoption at scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will institutions move treasury funds between chains using Safe and USDC?

Institutions will leverage Circle’s CCTP within Safe smart accounts to perform native USDC minting and burning on supported networks. This enables direct, auditable cross-chain transfers without wrapped tokens, reducing intermediary custody and simplifying liquidity routing. Integration also supports policy-based approvals and role-based spending controls for governance.

Can treasury teams use Safe for compliant on-chain fiat operations?

Yes. Safe’s integration with USDC pairs Circle’s regulated stablecoin infrastructure with Safe’s programmable policy layers and audit logs, enabling compliant onboarding, spend controls, and reporting that align with institutional treasury requirements.

Key Takeaways

• Native USDC support: Safe and Circle integrate USDC directly into institution-focused smart accounts, minimizing wrapped-token reliance.
• Operational scale: Dune Analytics data show Safe exceeds $60B TVL and moved over $57B in USDC since 2023, indicating substantial usage.
• Compliance and liquidity: The collaboration pairs regulated stablecoin rails with programmable custody controls to give treasuries compliant access to DeFi liquidity.

Conclusion

The Safe–Circle partnership advances institutional self-custody and on-chain treasury operations by embedding USDC as a native asset within Safe’s policy-aware accounts and enabling cross-chain capability via CCTP. Supported by on-chain metrics from Dune Analytics and leadership commentary from both organizations, the collaboration aims to make programmable, auditable capital management practical for institutions. Expect further product refinements and enterprise integrations as adoption grows. COINOTAG will monitor updates and report developments.