Circle CEO: Not particularly focused on Bitcoin’s price, stablecoin regulation may be gradually clarifying.

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire told CNBC in an interview that he is not particularly focused on Bitcoin’s short-term price performance, instead expressing greater optimism for a digital dollar tailored for payments and the AI agent economy. Allaire noted that the digital dollar can be used for payments, transactions, lending and investments, adding that AI agents will participate in more economic activities in the future, which may further drive demand for the digital dollar and related blockchain infrastructure. However, he did not provide specific data on this demand growth. On the regulatory front, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is drafting rules related to the GENIUS Act. The proposal requires stablecoin issuers to hold reserve assets equal to no less than the total value of their circulating stablecoins, redeem stablecoins at face value within two business days, and prohibits issuers from paying interest to holders. Allaire believes the GENIUS Act has bipartisan support and can provide policy safeguards for the stablecoin industry, though broader legislation on the U.S. crypto market structure has yet to make progress.