How-to: Transfer USDC onchain

Receive USDC and EURC via deposit addresses and send them to external blockchain wallets using the Circle Mint API.

Receive USDC or EURC by generating deposit addresses for external wallets to send to, or send USDC or EURC to allowlisted recipient addresses on supported blockchains. Third-party payouts may require Travel Rule compliance data; see Travel rule compliance for thresholds, schemas, and failure modes.

Prerequisites

Before you begin:

• Complete the account and API key setup.
• Review supported chains and currencies for available blockchains.
• (For sending) Have a funded Circle Mint account.
• (For sending) All recipient addresses must be approved by an account administrator through the Mint Console before you can create transfers. If your account is domiciled in France or Singapore, addresses require additional verification through the Mint Console.

Step 1. Receive USDC via deposit address

Step 1.1. Create a deposit address

Use the create deposit address endpoint to generate an address for receiving USDC or EURC on a specific blockchain.

curl -X POST https://api-sandbox.circle.com/v1/businessAccount/wallets/addresses/deposit \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${YOUR_API_KEY}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"idempotencyKey": "ba943ff1-ca16-49b2-ba55-1057e70ca5c7", "currency": "USD", "chain": "ARC"}'

Expected response:

{
  "data": {
    "id": "d51d72d2-9955-4340-b3fd-2f07a82a1e6c",
    "address": "0xbd01242af414961c25aa72dcae06646fc52e9b92",
    "currency": "USD",
    "chain": "ARC"
  }
}

You can create one deposit address per blockchain. Use the same address for all deposits on that blockchain.

Step 1.2. Send funds to your deposit address

This step happens outside the Circle Mint API. The sender transfers USDC or EURC from their external wallet to your deposit address on the matching blockchain.

Sending funds on the wrong blockchain results in permanent loss. Always confirm the blockchain network matches between the sender’s wallet and your deposit address.

Step 1.3. Verify the deposit

Use the list transfers endpoint to confirm the incoming transfer has settled.

curl https://api-sandbox.circle.com/v1/businessAccount/transfers \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${YOUR_API_KEY}"

Expected response:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "a6a1b575-13d5-4e73-9da7-73e2a3e4418a",
      "source": {
        "type": "blockchain",
        "chain": "ARC"
      },
      "destination": {
        "type": "wallet",
        "id": "1000066041"
      },
      "amount": {
        "amount": "100.00",
        "currency": "USD"
      },
      "transactionHash": "0x4cfd25b5ab46e9fe25e845e7a7e0ea2f1f7e4bba3c6e0f1db0b846e4a1bc5fd2",
      "status": "complete",
      "createDate": "2024-01-01T12:00:00.000Z"
    }
  ]
}

The transfer reaches complete status after the required number of blockchain confirmations for the deposit’s blockchain.

Step 2. Send USDC to an external address

Step 2.1. Add a recipient address

Use the create recipient address endpoint to allowlist an external blockchain address for outbound transfers.

curl -X POST https://api-sandbox.circle.com/v1/businessAccount/wallets/addresses/recipient \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${YOUR_API_KEY}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"idempotencyKey": "2a308497-e66e-4c42-ac1e-7bedab86d958", "address": "0x493A9869E3B5f846f72267ab19B76e9bf99d51b1", "chain": "ARC", "currency": "USD", "description": "Treasury wallet"}'

Expected response:

{
  "data": {
    "id": "cfa01bb0-d166-5506-a48a-56f2beab559f",
    "address": "0x493a9869e3b5f846f72267ab19b76e9bf99d51b1",
    "chain": "ARC",
    "currency": "USD",
    "description": "Treasury wallet"
  }
}

Adding a recipient address through the API creates a pending request. An account administrator must approve the address through the Mint Console before you can send transfers to it. A confirmation notification is sent to all administrators.

Step 2.2. Create a transfer

Use the create transfer endpoint to send funds to the approved recipient address.

curl -X POST https://api-sandbox.circle.com/v1/businessAccount/transfers \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${YOUR_API_KEY}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"idempotencyKey": "6ec3827d-15bb-442e-9d4c-32e73e61cbf4", "destination": {"type": "verified_blockchain", "addressId": "cfa01bb0-d166-5506-a48a-56f2beab559f"}, "amount": {"currency": "USD", "amount": "25.00"}}'

Expected response:

{
  "data": {
    "id": "21fd4ec4-bad1-4eb2-9fc5-60320dedc7ea",
    "source": {
      "type": "wallet",
      "id": "1016875042"
    },
    "destination": {
      "type": "blockchain",
      "address": "0x493a9869e3b5f846f72267ab19b76e9bf99d51b1",
      "chain": "ARC"
    },
    "amount": {
      "amount": "25.00",
      "currency": "USD"
    },
    "status": "pending",
    "createDate": "2024-07-15T16:41:12.395Z"
  }
}

Step 2.3. Check the transfer status

Use the get transfer endpoint to monitor the status of your transfer.

curl -X GET https://api-sandbox.circle.com/v1/businessAccount/transfers/21fd4ec4-bad1-4eb2-9fc5-60320dedc7ea \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${YOUR_API_KEY}"

The transfer progresses through these statuses:

• pending: Circle received the request.
• running: The transaction is broadcast onchain. The response includes a transactionHash.
• complete: Blockchain finality reached — the required number of confirmations passed.

Expected response for a running transfer:

{
  "data": {
    "id": "21fd4ec4-bad1-4eb2-9fc5-60320dedc7ea",
    "source": {
      "type": "wallet",
      "id": "1016875042"
    },
    "destination": {
      "type": "blockchain",
      "address": "0x493a9869e3b5f846f72267ab19b76e9bf99d51b1",
      "chain": "ARC"
    },
    "amount": {
      "amount": "25.00",
      "currency": "USD"
    },
    "transactionHash": "0x0654eee4f609f9c35e376cef9455dd9fc1546c482c5c32c8f8d434ead14fcf97",
    "status": "running",
    "createDate": "2024-07-15T16:41:12.395Z"
  }
}

See also

• How minting and redemption works: understand the transfer lifecycle
• Travel rule compliance: thresholds, schemas, and failure modes for third-party payouts
• Blockchain confirmations: confirmation counts by blockchain
• Supported Chains and Currencies: available blockchains