Boltzthe leading non-custodial Bitcoin exchange, today announced the launch of USDC rate changesenabling instant conversion between Bitcoin and USDC, a stablecoin powered by Circle. Swaps are supported on all major Bitcoin networks, including the Lightning Network, and are available now boltz.exchange.
“USDC Swaps signal a change in the environment of Bitcoin. For the first time, anyone can move between Bitcoin and the dollar trusted by the world’s most regulated economy without opening an account, completing KYC, or trusting the process manager,” said the group in a press release shared with Bitcoin Magazine.
The Bridge That Doesn’t Keep
Converting Bitcoin to USDC is not uncommon. What’s new is to do it without stopping to save. Today, users who want to move between Bitcoin and the regulated dollar are often channeled through exchanges and brokerages that require account creation, identity verification, and user custody. Small groups offer the same conversion without an account in advance, but because these services still manage the user’s money during the exchange, they still have the ability to stop and ask for documents if the transaction is confirmed for review, and the money can be confiscated in the meantime. The exchange, in both cases, has been the same: trust, control, and conflict in exchange for privilege.
Boltz removes the ad. USDC Swaps work with integrity, no account, no registration, and no KYC at any time. Funds remain in the user’s hands until the USDC reaches the user’s wallet. This is the main innovation, and it is what separates Boltz from every other alternative between Bitcoin and Circle’s regulated Stablecoin.
Abolition of Two Economic Groups
For more than a decade, Bitcoin and the stablecoin economy have evolved along similar paths. Bitcoin built an open, permissionless part of the Internet economy. Circle and the USDC created a legal, digital dollar that organizations need to operate. The two are often directly connected.
USDC Swaps close this gap. With a single transaction, the price can flow between Bitcoin and the dollar in a secure, guaranteed monthly basis that is already included in the products of Stripe, Coinbase, Visa, Mastercard, BlackRock, Robinhood, Revolut, Nubank, and a long list of banks, fintechs, and payment processors around the world.
The Boltz team wrote: USDC is the stablecoin that Stripe and Paradigm have put at the heart of Tempo, their new payment-focused blockchain. It is the dollar that Coinbase built its foundation on. It is the dollar that governs card networks, asset managers, and global fintechs they turn to when they need a digital dollar that they can secure from a regulator. The Boltz USDC exchange is meant to connect Bitcoin directly to the system that the regulated world is already maintaining.
“Bitcoin is a regulated financial system that has always been a world of nexus, separated by intermediaries who want to be protected and informed,” said Kilian Rausch, CEO of Boltz. “USDC Swaps removes that separation. A trader receiving Bitcoin, a freelancer getting paid in cash, a financial group managing a working capital, all can now access dollar assets on demand, in seconds.”
Supported by Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol
The USDC exchange is built on Circle’s Cross-Transfer Agreement (CCTP)infrastructure that allows USDC to flow across blockchains without third-party wraps or bridges. Every USDC issued through the Boltz exchange is authentic, USDC issued by Circle, the same USDC accepted by the world’s leading payment providers.
By building on CCTP, Boltz can serve users on any network supported by USDC, including Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Polygon, and others, from a single, financial provider.
Use Cases Between Consumers and Businesses
Boltz believes that USDC Swaps open up many avenues of support, including:
- Pushing Bitcoin into the bank through partners that already accept USDC, such as Stripe, Coinbase, and Bridge.
- The daily operations of Bitcoin-based businesses, such as paying vendors, paying bills, and settling rental bills in managed dollars without leaving unsecured buildings.
- Transaction stability for Bitcoin-accepting businesses that require deposits in USDC-certified, accounting-based currencies.
All of the above is now open without using crypto wallets outside of Bitcoin. Users send Bitcoin through Boltz and the recipient can receive USDC.
Bitcoin First, it’s Design
Boltz emphasized that Launch will not change the company’s Bitcoin-first. All exchanges remain unregistered, all transactions are atomic, and “Bitcoin-Only Mode” continues to be available for users who prefer a stripped-down interface. USDC Swaps only expand Bitcoin’s reach into a financial sector that, until now, has been difficult to access without trusted intermediaries.
USDC Swaps are available immediately to all users boltz.exchange. Integration into various SDKs and the Boltz BTCPay plugin is planned to follow in the coming weeks, according to the company.
