BlockBeats news: On July 19, Circle President Heath Tarbert acknowledged in an interview with Fox Business that the company's stock price has fallen from approximately $260 in June last year to around $62, representing a cumulative decline of about 76%. In response, he stated that if the company successfully executes its long-term plans, including the Arc blockchain infrastructure project, "the stock will take care of itself," emphasizing that "Circle is in it for the long haul."
However, analysts have become more cautious about Circle’s prospects; Mizuho downgraded CRCL from “Neutral” to “Underperform” and slashed its price target from $85 to $50, implying approximately 21% downside potential. Mizuho noted that even if interest rates remain elevated through 2027, they would not be sufficient to offset the erosion of profitability from pricing pressures and intensifying competition. Retail investor sentiment on Stocktwits remains in the “bullish” range, but discussion热度 remains persistently high.
Regarding the emerging stablecoin Open USD, backed by approximately 140 companies and planning to return reserve earnings to partners and waive minting fees, Tarbert stated that Circle welcomes competition, as the rival consortium model is extremely difficult to sustain long-term; USDC remains decisively ahead as the global leader, with its core moat consisting of a current circulating supply of about $73 billion and native support across 34 blockchains. Meanwhile, Circle is actively expanding its global payment footprint, having signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s JCB to explore use cases for USDC in merchant payments and cross-border treasury management, including enabling overseas visitors to make in-person payments in Japan using stablecoins.