> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.circle.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is USDC?

USDC is a digital dollar issued by Circle, also known as a stablecoin, running
on many of the world's leading blockchains. Designed to represent US dollars on
the internet, USDC is backed 100% by highly liquid cash and cash-equivalent
assets so that it's always redeemable 1:1 for USD.

Circle publishes monthly attestation reports for USDC reserve holdings on
[Circle's Transparency page](http://circle.com/transparency).

<Note>
  **You may be interested in CCTP**

  Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) is a permissionless onchain utility that
  enables USDC to move securely between supported blockchain networks. Just like
  USDC, CCTP is open and free for [anyone to build upon](/cctp).
</Note>

## USDC revolutionizes commerce and financial services

Circle developed USDC to usher in a world where the US dollar is accessible to
businesses and people around the globe without needing a traditional bank
account. Digital currencies like USDC inherit the speed, efficiency, and
security of public blockchain networks to bring about transformative benefits:

* **Open and programmable**
* **Globally accessible**
* **Available 24/7/365**
* **Instant settlement at low cost**

Before USDC, businesses needed traditional banking solutions to accept payments,
send remittances to vendors and suppliers, and manage their corporate
treasuries. In contrast to USDC, legacy payment methods are slow, expensive, and
limited by their lack of interoperability with other systems.

USDC makes money programmable, providing businesses and developers the ability
to build innovative applications and services on an open platform that anyone
can connect to -- globally, quickly, and cost-effectively.

## How to access USDC

Qualified businesses can apply for a [Circle Mint](/circle-mint) account to
readily convert USD to and from USDC at no additional cost.

Developers can add support for USDC in their applications on a variety of public
blockchain networks:

* Crypto-native developers often choose to integrate directly with the
  [USDC smart contract](/stablecoins/quickstart-transfer-10-usdc-on-chain) to
  design customizable funds flows for their applications.
* Developers new to the blockchain industry can benefit from
  [Circle's Developer Services](/wallets) product suite, designed to make it
  easy to build applications that leverage the power of USDC.
* Developers can use [CCTP](/cctp) to build novel crosschain apps that stack
  together the various functionalities of trading, lending, payments, NFTs,
  gaming, and more, all while keeping things simple for users.

<Note>
  For more information about USDC, visit [usdc.com](https://www.usdc.com).
</Note>