The Accounts API is designed for multi-chain and multi-currency support.

# Introduction to Chains and Currencies

If you are not familiar with blockchain concepts, a blockchain (or "chain" for short), is a distributed ledger of actions. Computers across the Internet use a blockchain to synchronize (agree on) a shared payment history for everyone on the network. You can think of it as a distributed database in which everyone who wants to transact records their actions according to certain rules that ensure nobody is cheating. [Bitcoin](🔗), [Ethereum](🔗), and [Algorand](🔗) are examples of chains.

A chain typically hosts one or more cryptocurrencies (or "currencies" for short) which have value. Currencies are also often referred to as tokens. Most chains host a native currency, and may sometimes have additional currencies (or tokens) hosted on the same chain. For example, the [Bitcoin](🔗) chain hosts the native Bitcoin (`BTC`) currency, but also secondary tokens like Omni (`OMNI`). The [Ethereum](🔗) chain hosts the native Ethereum (`ETH`) currency, but also a wide variety of currencies and tokens, including [`USDC`](🔗) and [`EUROC`](🔗). Many of them follow a technical standard called [ERC-20](🔗). Similarly, the [Algorand](🔗) chain hosts the native Algo (`ALGO`) currency, but also a variety of assets following the [Algorand Standard Assets framework](🔗), including [USDC](🔗) and [EUROC](🔗).

Occasionally a single currency can be available on multiple chains.

# Supported Chains and Currencies

The table below lists the chains and currencies currently supported by the Accounts API.

## Native USDC

## Bridged USDC

## Native EUROC

## Additional Supported Assets

# Using Chains and Currencies on the Wallets API

Any time you refer to a currency in the context of an Accounts API operation, you will utilize a currency and a chain pair. As an example, to [create a USDC transfer](🔗) on the Ethereum blockchain, you will specify the `USD` currency on the `ETH` chain. Similarly, to [create a USDC transfer](🔗) on the Algorand blockchain, you will specify the `USD` currency on the `ALGO` chain.

When referring to balances, you only need to refer to the currency (`USD`, `BTC`, `ETH`), because the value of the currency for a Circle-hosted value is independent of the chain - and may sometimes be available on, and transferred across multiple chains.