TLDR
- Binance bought $100 million worth of Circle shares in a private placement that closed September 17
- Circle issued 1.24 million Class A shares at $80.84 each, a discount to its market price
- The deal includes a five-year USDC promotion agreement between the two companies
- Circle will pay Binance a monthly fee based on USDC held through its wallet infrastructure
- Binance is locked from selling the shares for up to two years but retains voting rights
Binance has taken a $100 million stake in Circle, the company behind the USDC stablecoin, as part of a new five-year commercial partnership.
Circle 🤝 @binance
Circle and Binance are continuing to build together through a new five-year commercial agreement to expand USDC access across emerging markets.
Binance has also made a $100M strategic investment in Circle.https://t.co/I0CIUBUoCZ pic.twitter.com/zQ9f9EiYTk
— Circle (@circle) September 22, 2026
Circle issued 1,237,011 Class A shares to Binance at $80.84 per share through a private placement that closed on September 17. The price was a discount to Circle’s market value before the transaction closed.
Circle’s stock, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, rose more than 1.3% in premarket trading on Tuesday after closing Monday at $94.29.
The shares were sold in an unregistered private placement. This limits Binance’s ability to resell them unless the shares are registered or an exemption applies.
Binance has agreed not to sell, transfer, pledge, or hedge the shares for up to two years. The restriction could end sooner if Binance terminates the commercial agreement under certain conditions. Binance keeps voting rights during the lockup period.
What the Deal Includes
Under the agreement, Circle will pay Binance a monthly incentive fee. The fee is calculated as a percentage of the USDC held through Circle’s Modular Smart Contract Wallet service.
In return, Binance has agreed to carry out promotional activities for USDC on its platform. The new deal replaces earlier agreements the two companies made in November 2024 and August 2025.
Either company can end the partnership before the five-year term is up if specific conditions are met.
Richard Teng, co-CEO of Binance, said the investment reflects a long-term commitment. “A stable, trusted digital dollar should not be a privilege. It should be available to anyone with a phone,” he said.
Circle’s CEO on the Partnership
Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire said the deal could help bring dollar-based financial services to more people around the world.
“Binance has built one of the largest and most dynamic platforms in the world for using digital currency,” Allaire said.
He added that the two companies see opportunities to use USDC to expand dollar access and support savings and investment in global emerging markets.
The deal brings together two major players in the crypto space. Binance is one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges by trading volume. Circle is one of the leading stablecoin issuers.
USDC is the second largest stablecoin by market capitalization. The partnership is designed to grow its use across Binance’s platform and wallet infrastructure.
Circle’s subsidiaries signed the related commercial agreements. The share sale closed immediately after those agreements were finalized.
The SEC filing was published on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
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