Circle Deprecates Legacy USDC Transfer Protocol in December
Circle has announced that it will be deprecating its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) V1 by December 1, 2026. This move marks a significant step in Circle's evolution of infrastructure for native USDC transfers across blockchains. Developers using the legacy protocol are urged to migrate to CCTP V2 before the deadline.
CCTP V2 has been designed as the canonical protocol for cross-chain USDC transfers and offers several advantages over its predecessor, including support for both Standard and Fast Transfer modes, programmable hooks, and expanded support for 27 blockchains. The protocol relies on a burn-and-mint model to natively move USDC across chains.
Circle has emphasized that migration is not optional and has provided a migration guide to assist with the transition. The company has also announced two critical deadlines: January 12, 2026, when V1 functionality for changing mint recipients or destination callers will be disabled, and October 31, 2026, when burn limits on V1 contracts will start to decrease.