Bridged stablecoin (USDC.e)
A bridged stablecoin (working definition) is a version of a stablecoin on another blockchain, backed by the original tokens locked in a smart contract, rather than one issued by the stablecoin's issuer. Circle says bridged USDC is unofficial and neither issued nor redeemable by Circle; on Arbitrum the form bridged from Ethereum is called USDC.e. Circle's Bridged USDC Standard gives Circle the option, but not the obligation, to upgrade such a token to native USDC later.
What the sources say
| Source | Quote | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Circle blog: bridged USDC unofficial | "While bridged USDC is unofficial and not issued nor redeemable by Circle" | circle.com |
| Circle blog: backing of bridged USDC | "Backed by USDC on another blockchain locked in a smart contract" | circle.com |
| Circle blog: USDC.e on Arbitrum | "In the case of Arbitrum, there also exists a “bridged” form of USDC, known as USDC.e, that’s been bridged from Ethereum. USDC.e is not issued by Circle." | circle.com |
| Circle Bridged USDC page: option, not obligation | "Bridged USDC Standard grants Circle the option, but not the obligation, to obtain ownership of the token contract and upgrade to native USDC." | circle.com |
Related terms
See also
- Data: Bridge stablecoin holdings and flows
- Explainer: What are USDT0 and USDC.e — are they the same as USDT and USDC?
- Review: revain.org/coins/usdc/
- Review: revain.org/coins/usdt0/
- Review: revain.org/projects/arbitrum/
- Review: revain.org/projects/stargate/
Checked against the sources on 2026-11-01.
revain.org
- revain.org/coins/usdc/
- revain.org/coins/usdt0/
- revain.org/projects/arbitrum/
- revain.org/projects/stargate/