Circle vs PayPal: USDC Market Cap at $73 Billion Highlights Stablecoin Utility
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1h ago
0mins
Source: Fool
- Market Share Comparison: As of January 21, 2026, Circle's USDC commands a 24% share of the global stablecoin market with a market cap of $73 billion, establishing itself as the default dollar of the crypto economy and highlighting its significance in digital asset transactions.
- Surge in Transaction Volume: In Q3 2025, USDC's on-chain transaction volume reached $9.6 trillion, marking a 580% year-over-year increase, indicating a significant rise in liquidity and usage frequency within the crypto market, further solidifying its market position.
- PayPal Stablecoin Launch: PayPal introduced PYUSD in August 2023, aiming to bridge traditional finance and digital assets; although its current market cap is only $3.7 billion, its user-friendly nature appeals to many who have yet to engage with cryptocurrencies.
- Yield Rate Comparison: USDC typically offers around 3.5% APR through DeFi protocols, while PYUSD provides 3.75% APR directly within the PayPal app, showcasing similar yields, yet USDC's broader liquidity and applicability make it more suitable for active crypto users.
Analyst Views on PYPL
Wall Street analysts forecast PYPL stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for PYPL is 72.86 USD with a low forecast of 51.00 USD and a high forecast of 100.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
29 Analyst Rating
6 Buy
19 Hold
4 Sell
Hold
Current: 57.150
Low
51.00
Averages
72.86
High
100.00
Current: 57.150
Low
51.00
Averages
72.86
High
100.00
About PYPL
PayPal Holdings, Inc. offers a technology platform. The Company’s products are designed to enable digital payments and simplify commerce experiences for consumers and merchants to make selling, shopping, and sending and receiving money simple, personalized, and secure, online or offline, including mobile. It provides consumers with a digital wallet that enables them to send payments to merchants securely using a variety of funding sources, which include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, its consumer credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products. It operates a global, two-sided network at scale that connects consumers and merchants with 434 million active accounts across approximately 200 markets. Its brands include PayPal, Braintree, Venmo, Xoom, Hyperwallet, PayPal Zettle, PayPal Honey, and Paidy. It offers financing products through the PayPal Working Capital (PPWC) and PayPal Business Loan (PPBL).
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
