USDC Stablecoin Comes Directly to Bitcoin via Alpen Partnership

A new integration on Bitcoin aims to bring dollar liquidity directly onto the network through the USDC stablecoin, courtesy of Alpen and Circle. This partnership enables users to borrow, lend, and trade dollars without moving their BTC from the Bitcoin blockchain.

The integration relies on zero-knowledge verification to support lending, borrowing, and trading tools built around native BTC. The Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) connects Alpen to other CCTP-supported networks, allowing native USDC to move cross-chain without being converted into a wrapped representation first.

The availability of USDC on Bitcoin through Alpen means that wallets, custodians, and financial platforms can now offer BTC-backed borrowing, interest-bearing products, and trading services without having to leave the native chain. This is a significant shift for an ecosystem that has largely depended on wrapped assets or cross-chain bridges to access dollar liquidity.