Comparison · 2026 edition
Brale vs Circle Mint: stablecoin settlement compared 2026.
Brale and Circle Mint side by side in the Stablecoin Settlement Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
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Brale and Circle Mint side by side in the Stablecoin Settlement Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
In the Stablecoin Settlement Index, Circle Mint scores higher overall: 4.0 out of 5 (79 out of 100) against 3.6 (73), ranking 1 and 3 of 14. Brale scores higher for paying suppliers; Circle Mint scores higher for receiving from buyers and treasury and holding.
Overall and segment scores out of 100, and the score out of 5.
| Score | Brale | Circle Mint |
|---|---|---|
| Score out of 5 | 3.6 | 4.0 |
| Score out of 100 | 73 | 79 |
| Overall rank | 3 of 14 | 1 of 14 |
| For receiving from buyers (out of 100) | 74, rank 3 | 76, rank 1 |
| For paying suppliers (out of 100) | 75, rank 1 | 74, rank 2 |
| For treasury and holding (out of 100) | 69, rank 4 | 88, rank 1 |
| Type | US money transmitter and stablecoin issuer | US money transmitter, EU e-money institution |
Each score with the evidence behind it.
| Criterion | Brale | Circle Mint |
|---|---|---|
| Licences | 3/5 US state licences with numbers and NMLS ID; no licence outside the US. | 5/5 Licences in its own name in the US (46 states, New York, OCC trust charter), France (EMI and MiCA), Singapore, UK, Bermuda and ADGM, all with numbers. |
| Published fees | 5/5 Full public price list: 0 bps money movement, fixed rail fees, 5 bps USDT conversion. | 1/5 No fee schedule; only a 1:1 mint and redeem statement and gas covered in most cases. |
| Coins and rails | 3/5 USDC and USDT on 30+ chains, but US rails only. | 4/5 USDC on 38 networks and US, EU and Asian bank rails, but no USDT and no named UK rail. |
| Settlement | 4/5 Real-time RTP payouts where enabled; no stated window otherwise. | 4/5 Same business day minting for domestic wires; redemptions typically next business day. |
| Access | 4/5 Published US and 131-country lists with dashboard and API, though its user agreement limits custodial accounts to US businesses. | 5/5 185+ countries with a published list, web console and API. |
| Protection | 3/5 Segregated reserves and sub-accounts stated; custodian and reserve figure not named. | 5/5 Named trust bank custody, segregation, bankruptcy remote structure, an SEC-registered reserve fund reported via BlackRock and monthly Big Four assurance. |
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Stablecoin Settlement Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
What each provider publishes on its own pages, read on 21 October 2026.
| Fact | Brale | Circle Mint |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Brale Inc., 'NMLS ID #2376957'. Product page: '45 US jurisdictions licensed or exempt'. | US: 'Circle Internet Financial, LLC (NMLS ID# 1201441)'; New York 'Virtual Currency License, BL000042' and 'New York Money Transmitter License, MT104963'; First National Digital Currency Bank, N.A., operating as Circle National Trust, OCC 'Federal - Charter Number 25361'. |
| Licences | Disclosures page (updated 10 September 2026) lists 28 states and Washington DC: 25 states and DC with licence numbers (for example Alaska #AKMT-016633, Florida #FT230000475, Washington #550-MT-150453; five shown as the NMLS number) and 3 exempt (Hawaii, Indiana, Utah). No non-US licence. | State licences listed for 46 states (45 money transmitter licences and a Georgia seller of payment instruments licence), Washington DC and Puerto Rico (California DFAL 'Application Pending'). France: Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS, ACPR 'Electronic Money Institution License No. 17788' and AMF 'Crypto-Asset Services Provider - Authorization No. E2026-005'. Singapore: 'Major Payment Institution License No. PS20200630'. UK: 'Financial Conduct Authority E-Money Issuer License, No. 900480'. Bermuda: DAB License No. 54786. ADGM: 'Financial Services Permission Number 250035'. |
| Stablecoins and networks | Developer docs list USDC, USDT, USDP, RLUSD, USDB, SBC, USDGLO and others; '30+ chains deployed & maintained'. | USDC, EURC and cirBTC. 'USDC is natively supported across 38 blockchain networks' (multi-chain page, June 2026). USDT not listed. |
| Bank rails | Virtual accounts, ACH, wire and RTP. | 'FedWire and SWIFT'; real-time rails 'RTP, SPEI, SEPA, and CHATS, in supported regions'; book transfers with a Circle settlement partner. |
| Fees | '0 bps on standard money movement'; RTP $2, wire $20, ACH $0.25 per transfer; on-chain transfers gas fee plus 20%; USDT conversions 5 bps; '1:1 swaps - no spread'; Business plan $0 a month, no minimums. | No fee schedule published. Business page: 'distributors can avoid extra fees'. Developer docs: 'Circle covers gas fees for outbound stablecoin transfers in most cases.' |
| Settlement | RTP: 'Real-time payouts where enabled. No batch windows.' Stablecoins minted 'the moment funds clear'. | Mint: domestic wires received before the daily cutoff 'settle on the same business day'; international wires 1 to 3 business days. Redemption: payouts 'typically settle on the next business day.' |
| Access | End User Agreement: 'End User custodial accounts are available only to incorporated businesses registered and located in the United States'. Developer docs: business custodial accounts in 48 US jurisdictions (not New York, Tennessee, Texas or Virginia), and outside the US for regulated businesses and transactional accounts in 131 listed countries. US business KYB 'completed in minutes'. Dashboard and REST API. | 'Circle stablecoins are available to mint and redeem' in '185+ countries', with a linked list of eligible regions. 'Circle Mint is not available to individuals.' Web console and APIs. |
| Protection | 'Segregated reserves'; 'Tokens held in segregated sub-accounts. Brale manages keys and operations.' Not FDIC insured. No named custodian. | US assets held at Circle National Trust, 'institutional-grade protection and asset segregation', 'structured to be bankruptcy remote'; 'not FDIC-insured'. Reserves: majority in the Circle Reserve Fund (USDXX), 'an SEC-registered 2a-7 government money market fund', with portfolio reporting published via BlackRock; remainder in cash, mostly at large banks; monthly assurance by 'a Big Four accounting firm'; holdings disclosed weekly. |
| Date read | 21 October 2026 | 21 October 2026 |
Not published or not stated by Brale: protection and settlement.
Not published or not stated by Circle Mint: stablecoins and networks, fees and coins and rails.
Facts read on 21 October 2026 from: brale.xyz/pricing, brale.xyz/product, brale.xyz/legal/disclosures, brale.xyz/legal/end-user-agreement, docs.brale.xyz/coverage/value-types, docs.brale.xyz/coverage/account-availability; and circle.com/en/legal/licenses, circle.com/en/legal/us-licenses, circle.com/businesses, developers.circle.com/circle-mint/concepts/…, circle.com/transparency, circle.com/multi-chain-usdc.
Awards follow from the published scores and cannot be bought.
From each provider's strongest criteria and published terms.
US businesses wanting a full public price list.
Minting and redeeming USDC at scale.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.