What is Circle Gateway?
What is Circle Gateway?
Circle Gateway is a new crosschain primitive enabling a unified USDC balance,
unlocking instant crosschain liquidity in <500 ms.With Circle Gateway, users can hold a balance in USDC across multiple chains and
use it on any chain instantly, without having to move it manually or rely on
external liquidity.At the same time, they maintain the ownership and control over their USDC that
is native to blockchains. Gateway enables a user experience where access to USDC
is immediate and universal, and ownership is always preserved by the user.
How does Circle Gateway differ from CCTP?
How does Circle Gateway differ from CCTP?
Gateway allows users to front-load the finalization wait time rather than
requiring finality in the middle of a transfer flow. This enables users to use
all of their USDC instantly on any chain (even in amounts exceeding the balance
held on any single chain), without needing to decide beforehand what amount or
destination is needed. As such, it’s optimized for use-cases requiring capital
efficiency, low latency, and chain abstraction.
Who is Gateway designed for?
Who is Gateway designed for?
Gateway has been designed for businesses and developers facing pain points from
multichain liquidity fragmentation and crosschain friction between chains.
Does Gateway require signing up with Circle?
Does Gateway require signing up with Circle?
No, Gateway does not require sign-up with Circle. Gateway is permissionless
crosschain infrastructure that is available for all users and developers.
What are the fees associated with Gateway?
What are the fees associated with Gateway?
Fees for using Circle Gateway vary based on several factors, including the
source blockchain where USDC is being transferred from and the size of the
transaction. Each transfer includes a base fee that covers the gas costs
incurred during the burn process on the source chain. In addition to these
network-related costs, a percentage-based fee is applied based on the
transaction size to support operational and infrastructure needs.To support early adopters and encourage adoption, Circle is offering a
promotional rate of 0.005% (half a basis point) on all instant crosschain
transfers. This promotional fee structure reflects Circle’s commitment to
providing low-cost access to high-speed, non-custodial USDC transfers across
multiple blockchains. Importantly, transfers where the source and destination
domains are the same don’t incur the additional 0.005% fee, as these are treated
as instant withdrawals from the Gateway smart contract without invoking
crosschain functions.As the Gateway network continues to scale and mature, this promotional pricing
may be revised. Users and partners maintaining high volume and balances during
the promotional period may be prioritized for eligibility to extend the
promotional pricing beyond the standard window. This consideration reflects
Circle’s intention to reward early participation and meaningful engagement with
Gateway.If you have further questions about the current fee structure or would like to
discuss long-term pricing options, reach out to Circle directly via the
Discord support channel or your
Circle account representative.
Where is USDC held after deposit into the Gateway Wallet contract?
Where is USDC held after deposit into the Gateway Wallet contract?
USDC deposited to the GatewayWallet smart contract is fully controlled by the
user, and remains in the contract until the user has provided a signed request
to move assets.
How does a trustless withdrawal work?
How does a trustless withdrawal work?
In the unlikely event that Circle’s APIs are down for an extended period or
service is unavailable for any other reason, users can trustlessly withdraw USDC
with a delay.First, make a contract call to the
initiateWithdrawal
method on the Gateway Wallet contract with the desired amount to withdrawal.
After a delay of 7 days, make a contract call to the withdraw method to complete
the withdrawal.Have the Gateway Wallet contracts been audited?
Have the Gateway Wallet contracts been audited?
Yes, Gateway smart contracts have been audited by two separate firms.