Quickstart: Transfer USDC on Aptos

USDC on Aptos is a fungible asset issued by Circle. Transferring USDC between Aptos accounts moves the asset between primary fungible stores. The @aptos-labs/ts-sdk script you build in this guide will:

Load your sender wallet from a private key
Check your testnet USDC balance
Transfer USDC to a recipient address you set in the script

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you’ve:

Installed Node.js v22.6+
Set up a terminal and code editor for running commands and editing files
Created an Aptos Testnet wallet with the private key available
- Funded with testnet APT (for transaction fees) from the Aptos Faucet
- Funded with testnet USDC from the Circle Faucet

Contract addresses

You need the following Aptos Testnet USDC fungible asset metadata address:

Testnet: 0x69091fbab5f7d635ee7ac5098cf0c1efbe31d68fec0f2cd565e8d168daf52832

Step 1: Set up the project

1.1. Create the project and install dependencies

Create a new directory, setup a Node.js project, and install the required dependencies:

Shell

mkdir aptos-usdc-transfer
cd aptos-usdc-transfer
npm init -y
npm pkg set type=module
npm pkg set scripts.start="node --env-file=.env main.ts"
npm install @aptos-labs/ts-sdk
npm install --save-dev typescript @types/node

1.2. Configure TypeScript (optional)

This step is optional. It helps prevent missing types in your IDE or editor.

Create a tsconfig.json file:

npx tsc --init

Then, update the tsconfig.json file:

cat <<'EOF' > tsconfig.json
{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ESNext",
    "module": "ESNext",
    "moduleResolution": "bundler",
    "strict": true,
    "types": ["node"]
  }
}
EOF

1.3. Configure environment variables

Create a .env file in your project directory and add your sender’s private key. Use either an AIP-80 formatted key (ed25519-priv-0x...) or a raw hex private key from your wallet export.

.env

APTOS_PRIVATE_KEY=YOUR_SENDER_PRIVATE_KEY

Open .env in your editor rather than writing values with shell commands, and add .env to your .gitignore. This prevents credentials from leaking into your shell history or version control.

This example uses one or more private keys for local testing. In production, use a secure key management solution and never expose or share private keys.

Step 2: Create the transfer script

Add main.ts at the project root. The script:

Loads your existing sender wallet from the environment variable
Reads the sender’s USDC balance
Builds a fungible asset transfer to your recipient address
Signs, submits, and waits for the transaction

Replace 0xYOUR_RECIPIENT_ADDRESS with the Aptos address that should receive the USDC.

main.ts

import {
  Account,
  Aptos,
  AptosConfig,
  Ed25519PrivateKey,
  Network,
} from "@aptos-labs/ts-sdk";

// Testnet USDC fungible-asset metadata address
const USDC_METADATA =
  "0x69091fbab5f7d635ee7ac5098cf0c1efbe31d68fec0f2cd565e8d168daf52832";
const USDC_DECIMALS = 6;
const TRANSFER_AMOUNT = 1 * 10 ** USDC_DECIMALS; // 1 USDC in base units
const RECIPIENT_ADDRESS = "0xYOUR_RECIPIENT_ADDRESS";
const EXPLORER_TX = "https://explorer.aptoslabs.com/txn";

const aptos = new Aptos(new AptosConfig({ network: Network.TESTNET }));

if (!process.env.APTOS_PRIVATE_KEY) {
  throw new Error("Set APTOS_PRIVATE_KEY in .env");
}

// 1. Load sender from the private key
const sender = Account.fromPrivateKey({
  privateKey: new Ed25519PrivateKey(process.env.APTOS_PRIVATE_KEY),
});

console.log("Sender:", sender.accountAddress.toString());
console.log("Recipient:", RECIPIENT_ADDRESS);

// 2. Read sender USDC balance (base units)
const balance = await aptos.getBalance({
  accountAddress: sender.accountAddress,
  asset: USDC_METADATA,
});
console.log("USDC balance:", balance / 10 ** USDC_DECIMALS);

if (balance < TRANSFER_AMOUNT) {
  throw new Error("Insufficient USDC (fund via https://faucet.circle.com)");
}

// 3. Build FA transfer (primary store → primary store)
const transaction = await aptos.transferFungibleAsset({
  sender,
  fungibleAssetMetadataAddress: USDC_METADATA,
  recipient: RECIPIENT_ADDRESS,
  amount: TRANSFER_AMOUNT,
});

// 4. Sign, submit, wait
const pending = await aptos.signAndSubmitTransaction({
  signer: sender,
  transaction,
});
const committed = await aptos.waitForTransaction({
  transactionHash: pending.hash,
});

if (!committed.success) {
  throw new Error(`Transaction failed: ${committed.hash}`);
}

console.log(
  `Transfer confirmed: ${EXPLORER_TX}/${committed.hash}?network=testnet`,
);

Step 3: Run the script

From the project directory, run:

Shell

npm run start

Your output should look similar to the following (addresses and hashes will differ):

Shell

Sender: 0xce1d...8936
Recipient: 0xd180...5e10
USDC balance: 20
Transfer confirmed: https://explorer.aptoslabs.com/txn/0xb28e...ca15?network=testnet

Open the explorer URL from the Transfer confirmed: line to view the transaction on Aptos Testnet.

Common errors you might encounter:

Set APTOS_PRIVATE_KEY in .env: The private key is missing. Add APTOS_PRIVATE_KEY to .env and run with npm run start (which loads the file via --env-file).
Insufficient USDC: The sender does not have enough testnet USDC. Fund the wallet from the Circle Faucet before running the script.
Transaction failure / out of gas: The sender needs testnet APT for fees. Request APT from the Aptos Faucet.

USDC

EURC

cirBTC

xReserve

USYC

Quickstart: Transfer USDC on Aptos

Prerequisites

Contract addresses

Step 1: Set up the project

1.1. Create the project and install dependencies

1.2. Configure TypeScript (optional)

1.3. Configure environment variables

Step 2: Create the transfer script

Step 3: Run the script

​Prerequisites

​Contract addresses

​Step 1: Set up the project

​1.1. Create the project and install dependencies

​1.2. Configure TypeScript (optional)

​1.3. Configure environment variables

​Step 2: Create the transfer script

​Step 3: Run the script

Prerequisites

Contract addresses

Step 1: Set up the project

1.1. Create the project and install dependencies

1.2. Configure TypeScript (optional)

1.3. Configure environment variables

Step 2: Create the transfer script

Step 3: Run the script