CRCL Stock Jumps 22% as Circle Aims AI Agent Payments to Outpace Tether and Ripple

Circle bets big on AI agent payments, boosting CRCL as USDC dominates settlements and analysts foresee further upside.

2026-03-07

TradingView data shows that the Circle stock climbed 22% this week, rising above $100 for the first time this year. The stock had climbed above $108 on March 5 before closing out the week at almost $102. This week’s rally comes as Circle bets big on AI agent payments. The stock notably extended its gains from last week as USDC issuer Circle moves to dominate in AI agent payments.

A recent CoinGape market analysis predicted that the Circle stock price could rally to $120 in the coming weeks if the bullish trend continues. USDC may already be leading in the AI agent payments space, which could provide a significant boost to the CRCL stock. Allium data, shared by Visa, showed that USDC topped USDT and other stablecoins in transaction volume last month. AI agents have made 140 million payments to each other over the past nine months, totaling $43 million in volume.

98.6% of these transactions have been settled in USDC. The Circle CEO noted that AI agents “overwhelmingly” prefer USDC, though he acknowledged it is still early days.