CIRCLE USYC vs ZKUSD
Circle USYC and zkUSD Dollar, compared on the things that decide whether you get your dollar back. Live data, updated continuously.
30-day peg gap and CIRCLE USYC/ZKUSD spread
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Circle USYC issues dollar-denominated tokenized real-world assets across 2 chains. Value shown is on-chain assets under management.
Verdict band: Adequate
zkUSD Dollar is a dollar-denominated token tracked across 1 chains. No verified issuer disclosure is on file, so its collateral and legal structure score conservatively.
Verdict band: Caution
| Safety scoreComposite of collateral, peg, liquidity, issuer and track record. | ●●●●●5 of 5 | 66 | 53 | CIRCLE USYC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collateral qualityWhat actually backs the token, and how liquid that backing is. | ●●●●●5 of 5 | 55 | 55 | Tie |
| Exit liquidityWhether you can leave at size without moving the price. | ●●●●●5 of 5 | $0.00 | $0.00 | Tie |
| Issuer & legal standingRegulatory perimeter, disclosure quality and redemption rights. | ●●●●4 of 5 | 48 | 48 | Tie |
| Peg tightness (live)Absolute distance from $1.00 right now — smaller is better. | ●●●●4 of 5 | 0.000% | −0.025% | CIRCLE USYC |
| Worst recorded depegHow badly the token has broken before, as a stress precedent. | ●●●●4 of 5 | None recorded | None recorded | Tie |
| Track recordYears live and behaviour through past stress events. | ●●●●4 of 5 | 53 | 53 | Tie |
| Scale / market capBigger float usually means broader venue support and tighter spreads. | ●●●3 of 5 | $2.98B | $1.18M | CIRCLE USYC |
| Chain reachNumber of networks where the token is natively deployed. | ●●●3 of 5 | 2 chains | 1 chains | CIRCLE USYC |
| Best available yieldUpside — but every extra point above T-bills is paid for with risk. | ●●2 of 5 | None | None | Tie |
"Matters" is our weighting of how much each dimension typically drives a real allocation decision. Sort any column to re-rank the tradeoffs by what matters to you.
The short answer
CIRCLE USYC scores higher on safety (66 vs 53), driven mainly by collateral quality and disclosure. CIRCLE USYC has deeper tracked liquidity ($0.00), which is what determines whether you can exit at size.
If both are fiat-reserve tokens, note that holding both is not diversification: they share the same short-dated Treasury and banking exposure. Genuine diversification means mixing collateral structures.
Which one fits your goal: CIRCLE USYC or ZKUSD?
Capital preservation over everything else.
For park cash safely, CIRCLE USYC is the better fit over ZKUSD.
- Safety score 66 vs 53, with collateral rated 55/100.
- Current peg deviation 0.000% against -0.025% for ZKUSD.
- No material depeg recorded for CIRCLE USYC in our incident log.
Concentrating in one issuer is a single point of failure regardless of score. Split across collateral structures.
Key risks, side by side
CIRCLE USYC
- Issuer and banking risk: reserves sit with Circle USYC under Not documented rules.
- No depeg recorded in our incident log — absence of history is not a guarantee.
- Attestation cadence: monthly.
- Chain concentration: 98% of supply sits on Binance.
ZKUSD
- Collateral volatility: a fast drawdown in backing assets can force liquidations.
- No depeg recorded in our incident log — absence of history is not a guarantee.
- Limited public attestation of reserves.
- Chain concentration: 100% of supply sits on ZKsync Era.
| Metric | CIRCLE USYC | ZKUSD |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Tokenized Treasury | Stablecoin |
| Issuer | Circle USYC | Undisclosed |
| Jurisdiction | Not documented | Not documented |
| Collateral | treasuries | crypto-backed |
| Peg mechanism | asset-backed | crypto-backed |
| Attestation | monthly | none |
| Redemption | gated | market-only |
| Price | $1.0000 | $0.9998 |
| Peg deviation | 0.000% | −0.025% |
| Market cap | $2.98B | $1.18M |
| 7d supply change | −0.81% | 0.00% |
| Liquidity | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Best yield | None | None |
| Chains | 2 | 1 |
| Launched | — | — |
| Worst recorded depeg | None recorded | None recorded |
Spread, peg gap and switching cost
- Price spread (CIRCLE USYC vs ZKUSD)
- +2.5 bps
- $1.0000 vs $0.9998
- Peg deviation gap
- -0.025 pp
- CIRCLE USYC 0.000% · ZKUSD −0.025%
- Yield spread
- +0.00%
- CIRCLE USYC — · ZKUSD —
- Liquidity ratio
- —
- $0.00 vs $0.00
A round trip between CIRCLE USYC and ZKUSD costs roughly the market spread plus venue fees. At 2.5 bps of price gap, swapping $1M implies about $249.74 of price impact before fees — usually only worth it if the peg gap or yield spread is durable, not intraday noise.
Chain coverage
CIRCLE USYC is live on 2 chains, ZKUSD on 1. 0 chains carry both, so bridging is only unavoidable for the 3 networks where just one of them is deployed.
| Chain | CIRCLE USYC | ZKUSD | Both available |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2.91B | — | CIRCLE USYC only | |
| $72.71M | — | CIRCLE USYC only | |
| — | $1.18M | ZKUSD only |
CIRCLE USYC vs ZKUSD: frequently asked questions
Is CIRCLE USYC or ZKUSD safer?
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On our composite safety score CIRCLE USYC rates 66/100 versus 53/100 for ZKUSD. The score weighs collateral quality (treasuries vs crypto-backed), redemption rights, attestation quality, peg history and liquidity depth. A higher score is not a guarantee: both remain issuer-credit and smart-contract exposures, not insured bank deposits.
What is the difference between CIRCLE USYC and ZKUSD?
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Circle USYC is issued by Circle USYC (Not documented), backed by treasuries, with redemption terms: gated. zkUSD Dollar is issued by Undisclosed (Not documented), backed by crypto-backed, with redemption terms: market-only. Attestation coverage is "monthly" for CIRCLE USYC and "none" for ZKUSD.
Which has the bigger market cap, CIRCLE USYC or ZKUSD?
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CIRCLE USYC is larger at $2.98B in circulating supply, against $1.18M for the other. Over the last 7 days supply moved −0.81% for CIRCLE USYC and 0.00% for ZKUSD.
Are CIRCLE USYC and ZKUSD trading at $1.00 right now?
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CIRCLE USYC trades at $1.0000 (0.000% off peg) and ZKUSD at $0.9998 (−0.025% off peg). The gap between the two is about 2.5 basis points, which is the cost you pay when rotating size between them before fees.
Has CIRCLE USYC or ZKUSD ever depegged?
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CIRCLE USYC: no material depeg recorded in our incident set. ZKUSD: no material depeg recorded in our incident set. Past peg behaviour under stress is the single best available proxy for how a token trades in the next crisis.
Which is better for large institutional size, CIRCLE USYC or ZKUSD?
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For block size the constraint is exit liquidity and primary redemption, not headline supply. CIRCLE USYC shows deeper on-chain liquidity at $0.00 versus $0.00. Combine that with the redemption channel — CIRCLE USYC: gated; ZKUSD: market-only — and size trades against the primary window rather than the order book where possible.
Can I earn yield on CIRCLE USYC or ZKUSD?
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Neither CIRCLE USYC nor ZKUSD currently has a tracked yield venue in our dataset. Holding either in a wallet pays nothing; any advertised rate comes from lending or liquidity provision on top, with its own risk.
Which chains support both CIRCLE USYC and ZKUSD?
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They currently share no common network in our data: CIRCLE USYC is deployed on 2 chain(s) and ZKUSD on 1. Moving between them requires a bridge or a centralised venue.
What does it cost to switch from CIRCLE USYC to ZKUSD?
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Budget three components: the current price spread of roughly 2.5 bps, swap or venue fees, and slippage against available depth ($0.00 for CIRCLE USYC, $0.00 for ZKUSD). For meaningful size, redeeming with the issuer and minting the other side is often cheaper than a secondary-market swap.
Is CIRCLE USYC or ZKUSD regulated?
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CIRCLE USYC is issued from Not documented with monthly; ZKUSD is issued from Not documented with none. Regulatory status varies by your own jurisdiction and by whether the token is offered under a specific stablecoin regime, so treat this as a starting point for diligence, not legal advice.