$500 Million USDC Minted on Solana as Bitcoin’s $78,000 Breakout Gains Liquidity Support

The cryptocurrency market is experiencing one of the most dynamic moments of the year as Bitcoin has surpassed the psychological $78,000 mark for the first time in two months. This breakout is accompanied by a strong inflow of liquidity; on the Solana blockchain alone, 500 million $USDC were issued within a short period of time, according to Whale Alert.

The main catalyst for growth was a sharp positive shift in geopolitics. The market reacted to news of a possible deescalation in the Middle East. Statements from the parties about opening the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping triggered a drop in oil prices below $80 for WTI and a sharp rise in risk assets — first of all $BTC.

$USDC printing press: 500 million “in the moment”

Against this backdrop, the Whale Alert system recorded the creation of two batches of 250,000,000 $USDC, worth a total of $500 million in Circle’s treasury. The majority of the new issuance was deployed on the Solana network, bringing the weekly stablecoin issuance volume on this chain to a record $3.25 billion in 2026.

Historically, such large $USDC issuances precede phases of active buying or are used by institutions to collateralize margin positions amid rising volatility.

Despite the euphoria, experts from Glassnode and JPMorgan warn of a “sell wall” and potential profit-taking. Support is now located in the $75,000-$76,000 range. The ceiling for $BTC in this rally is marked at $86,796, where the 200-day moving average is currently stretching.