Interactive Brokers banks on stablecoin USDC to accelerate crypto deposits

The line between traditional finance and crypto continues to blur. Interactive Brokers, a heavyweight in online brokerage, provides further proof of this by authorizing the financing of accounts via USDC. This stablecoin, backed by the dollar, thus becomes a bridge between two long-opposed worlds. Behind this decision is a clear desire to accelerate the modernization of global financial flows, bypassing the limits of traditional banking systems.

A functional integration of the USDC stablecoin at Interactive Brokers

This January 15, Interactive Brokers (IBKR), a global online brokerage giant, announced that its clients can now fund their trading accounts by depositing USDC, the stablecoin issued by Circle, while these cryptos could cause a massive flight of bank deposits.

This feature is based on a partnership with the Zero Hash crypto infrastructure, which allows automatic and instant processing of USDC deposits. These are directly converted into US dollars upon receipt, and credited without delay to the user's account.

“Stablecoin deposits are converted to US dollars upon receipt and credited immediately”the company said in its official press release. By offering 24/7 access to this type of financing, IBKR intends to free itself from the traditional constraints of bank transfers, which are both costly and dependent on bank opening hours.

This new development marks a strategic step for IBKR, which thus responds to a growing demand from international investors, often faced with frustrating banking delays. Like theexplain CEO Milan Galik: “stablecoin financing offers international investors the speed and flexibility demanded by today’s markets”. He adds: “clients can transfer funds and start trading in minutes, while reducing transaction costs”.

In practice, here are the main terms of the service:

• Supported stablecoin: USDC (USD Coin), issued by Circle;
• Automatic conversion into USD upon receipt in the customer account;
• Compatible blockchains: Ethereum, Solana and Base;
• The technical partner: Zero Hash, regulated crypto infrastructure operator;
• Availability: active service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without interruption;
• A planned expansion: other stablecoins like PayPal USD and Ripple USD will be integrated the following week.

This initiative is not limited to technical innovation. It aims to solve a structural problem in traditional finance, while positioning IBKR as one of the first global brokers to fully integrate blockchain flows.

A wider opening strategy to stablecoins

This announcement is part of a global strategy of opening up to stable digital currencies. Interactive Brokers has indeed indicated that other stablecoins, notably PayPal USD (PYUSD) and Ripple USD, will be added the following week.

This is therefore not an isolated experiment, but rather a progressive integration of an ecosystem of stablecoins within brokerage services. A dynamic that is all the more significant since the company had considered, in the past, launching its own stablecoin. This diversification of financing means responds to a logic of competitiveness in an increasingly interconnected and rapid financial environment.

The announcement also comes in a context of massive expansion of the stablecoin market. Indeed, the total capitalization of these assets crossed $310 billion at the beginning of January 2026, after growth of +46.8% in 2025. This development was largely driven by the three giants of the sector: Tether (USDT), USDC and USDe from Ethena Labs, a stablecoin with integrated yield.

At the same time, IBKR continues to expand its crypto offering: after bitcoin and Ethereum in 2021, tokens like Solana or XRP joined the platform in 2025, strengthening its positioning on the crypto market, despite recurring crashes.