Ripple reportedly attempted to acquire Circle, the company behind USDC, one of the most widely used and trusted stablecoins in the world. According to a Bloomberg report, Ripple offered $4–5 billion for the acquisition, but Circle rejected the proposal, believing the valuation was too low. This development was brought to wider attention after Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Assets Research at VanEck, shared a post highlighting the attempted buyout.
His post included a Bloomberg summary noting that while Ripple remains interested, it hasn’t decided whether to submit a new offer. Ripple’s RLUSD, launched in December 2023, currently has a market capitalization of around $317 million. In contrast, Circle’s USDC is one of the largest stablecoins in the world, with a market cap of over $61 billion.
Despite rejecting Ripple’s offer, Circle is staying focused on its own path. It filed for an IPO earlier this month and is currently in a quiet period with the SEC, limiting public comment. A Circle spokesperson confirmed the company’s long-term goals remain unchanged but could not provide further details. Ripple also declined to comment.
This comes amid a renewed wave of crypto dealmaking and market recovery. Ripple has been expanding aggressively, having acquired Hidden Road, a digital asset prime broker, for $1.25 billion in April. Meanwhile, other crypto companies such as BitGo, Gemini, and Bullish are also preparing to go public. The rejected bid signals Ripple’s ambition to dominate the stablecoin space, but Circle appears committed to carving its own path as a public company, aiming for broader institutional adoption.
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