Which network should you use to send USDC?

Native and bridged USDC are different tokens

Native USDC is issued by Circle on each network it supports and is redeemable one for one for US dollars. Bridged USDC is created by a third party: USDC is locked in a contract on one chain and a representation is minted on another. Both may be called USDC in a wallet, but they are separate tokens with separate contracts.

That difference decides whether a deposit is credited. A platform that accepts native USDC on a network may not credit the bridged version, and the reverse. The ticker on your screen is not enough; the contract is what identifies the token, and the contract address check lists the official ones.

Why TRON is no longer a USDC route

Circle announced on 21 February 2024 that it had stopped minting USDC on TRON, and TRON no longer appears among its supported networks. The fee table on this page shows whether either exchange still lists USDC on TRON, and in what state.

For a new transfer, choose another network. If you still hold USDC on TRON from before, check whether your platform offers a conversion or a withdrawal on a supported network, and do not send it to an address that only accepts USDC on another chain.

Arbitrum: check which USDC you hold

Arbitrum One carries both native USDC and a bridged version, USDC.e. An exchange may list either of them as "USDC" on Arbitrum, and a wallet may show both. Before sending, compare the contract in your wallet or on the withdrawal screen with the native address in the table above.

Because Arbitrum shares Ethereum's address format, the same care applies to the network itself. The Arbitrum network guide explains how to keep the two apart on an exchange screen.

How the networks compare on fees

Binance and OKX set their own USDC withdrawal fees for each network, and the order changes. The table on this page shows the latest fee each exchange reported, with the time of the check; use it to narrow the options, then confirm the figure on your own confirmation screen.

Compare only networks the receiving deposit screen lists for USDC. A lower fee on a network the destination does not credit is not a saving.

Moving USDC between Binance and OKX

• Open the receiving exchange's USDC deposit screen and note which networks it lists.
• Pick one of those networks that the sending exchange also offers for USDC withdrawals.
• Copy the deposit address shown for that exact network.
• On the sending exchange, select USDC and the same network, then compare the fee and the amount that should arrive.
• Send a small test amount the first time, and keep the transaction ID until the deposit is credited.

What to do if you received bridged USDC

Bridged USDC is not wrong to hold, but it is not interchangeable with native USDC. If a destination only accepts native USDC, convert it on a platform that supports both before sending. Circle's bridged-USDC standard gives Circle the option, not the obligation, to upgrade a bridged token to native in place, so do not rely on that happening.