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Documentation Index

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Blockchain confirmations secure transactions and ensure finality on a blockchain. When you build with Circle Wallets, understanding confirmations helps you balance speed with the risk of blockchain reorganizations (reorgs).

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How confirmations work

When you submit a transaction to a blockchain using Circle Wallets, it starts in the INITIATED state. The network must include it in a block before it reaches the CONFIRMED state. Each new block added after that makes the transaction harder to reverse. A confirmation number is the number of blocks that must follow a transaction’s block before it is final. Once the confirmation number is reached, the transaction can’t be reversed.

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Why confirmations matter

Without enough confirmations, transactions are at risk of reorgs. A reorg happens when validators discard recent blocks and replace them with new ones, rewriting part of the blockchain’s history. This can reverse transactions that appeared settled. Each extra confirmation makes a reorg less likely. Because blockchains differ in design, block times, and consensus, the number of confirmations needed varies by blockchain.

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How Circle Wallets handles confirmations

Circle Wallets waits for each blockchain’s standard confirmation threshold before marking a transaction as COMPLETE. Confirmation times vary by blockchain.
Even if a transaction is visible on a block explorer, it may not be COMPLETE in Circle Wallets if it hasn’t reached the required number of confirmations for that blockchain.