Circle denies sale to Ripple and Coinbase, focuses on billion-dollar IPO

• Circle reaffirms focus on IPO, not for sale
• Ripple reportedly made an offer of between $4 and $5 billion
• Stablecoin USDC remains a priority in institutional strategy

Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, has publicly denied rumors that it is in talks to sell to Ripple or Coinbase. In a statement released on May 19, a company spokesperson said: “Circle is not for sale. Our long-term goals remain the same.”

The denial came after reports suggested Circle was seeking a valuation of at least $5 billion, considering both its initial public offering (IPO) and potential acquisition proposals. Names mentioned in the speculation included Ripple and U.S. exchange Coinbase.

According to sources close to the matter, Ripple made an offer in the range of $4 to $5 billion, but Circle reportedly declined because it considered the amount to be lower than expected. Despite this, Ripple is still interested in the transaction, although there is no confirmation of any new offers in the works.

Circle's focus remains on an IPO. In April 2025, the company formalized its IPO application with regulatory authorities and has already hired banks to lead the share issuance. The initial expectation was to list its shares in 2022, a plan that was postponed due to adverse market conditions at the time.

Jeremy Allaire, the company's CEO, has stated on several occasions that Circle's priority is to expand its infrastructure aimed at the institutional market. An example of this strategy was the acquisition of Hashnote in January 2024. The acquired company is responsible for issuing USYC, a stablecoin linked to US Treasury bonds, and the operation was seen as an important step towards boosting tokenization solutions in the traditional financial market.

With USDC firmly established among the top stablecoins on the market, Circle is now looking to reinforce its position among the leaders in the cryptocurrency sector through a public listing that promises to move billions of dollars.