Circle Stock Ticks Up as Mizuho Analyst Lifts Price Forecast as Circle’s USDC Overtakes Tether
Circle stock (CRCL) is gaining ground after a major Japanese bank raised its expectations for the company. Mizuho (MFG) analysts, Dan Dolev and Alexander Jenkin, increased their price target for Circle from $100 to $120 following a massive shift in the crypto market. The stock was up about 1% by market close on Friday, reaching $115.38. This rally comes as Circle’s main product, USDC (USDC-USD), officially begins to handle more money than its biggest rival, Tether.
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Circle Becomes the New Volume Leader
For the first time since 2019, Circle’s USDC has overtaken Tether’s USDT (USDT-USD) in terms of actual trading activity. So far in 2026, USDC has handled a staggering $2.2 trillion in transactions, while Tether has seen about $1.3 trillion. Mizuho’s analysts pointed out that while Tether still has a larger total market cap, Circle is winning where it matters most: real-world usage. Investors are increasingly using USDC for prediction markets like “Polymarket or agentic commerce” tools where AI bots handle payments.
New Growth Targets and Future Predictions
Because of this surge in activity, Mizuho has raised its long-term forecasts for the company. Analysts now expect the number of “meaningful wallets” using Circle’s technology to hit 11.7 million by 2027. They also predict that the total value of USDC in the market will climb to $139 billion. While some experts believe the recent stock jump was caused by traders quickly closing out “short” bets, others say the steady growth of Circle’s infrastructure is the real reason for the 95% gain since February.
Circle Beats BlackRock in Treasury Race
In another big win, Circle has officially passed BlackRock (BLK) to become the leader in the “tokenized Treasury” market. Circle’s USYC token, which allows investors to earn interest on U.S. government debt through the blockchain, has grown to $2.2 billion. This move pushed it ahead of BlackRock’s BUIDL fund. Much of this growth is coming from big institutional traders on the Binance network who use Circle’s token as collateral for their trades. This whole sector has exploded to a record $11 billion this year as people look for safe places to park their cash while still earning a yield.
Is Circle Stock a Good Buy?
Circle stock (CRCL) has a consensus Moderate Buy rating among 17 Wall Street analysts. This rating is based on nine Buy, seven Hold, and one Sell recommendation issued in the last three months. The average 12-month CRCL price target of $115.17 implies 0.2% downside risk from current levels.
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