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Circle Soars 168% In First Day Of Trading On NYSE Following Strong IPO

Shares of Circle Internet Group, the issuer of the market’s second-largest stablecoin, USDC, experienced a remarkable surge on Thursday, skyrocketing 168% as the company made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). 

Circle’s IPO Exceeds Expectations

Circle’s stock opened at $69, well above its IPO pricing of $31. Throughout the day, the shares reached a peak of $103.75, showcasing strong investor enthusiasm. 

The IPO was priced late Wednesday, exceeding the anticipated range of $27 to $28, and substantially outpacing an earlier range of $24 to $26. This pricing strategy valued the company at approximately $6.8 billion before trading commenced.

By the end of the trading session, Circle’s trading volume reached about 46 million shares, far surpassing the number of freely floating shares available. This impressive performance positions Circle alongside other cryptocurrency firms like Coinbase, Mara Holdings, and Riot Platforms as a notable player in the US market.

CEO Jeremy Allaire emphasized the importance of building relationships with governments and policymakers, stating, “To realize our vision, we needed to forge relationships with governments… it’s got to work in mainstream society and you need to have those rules of the road.” 

Allaire highlighted Circle’s commitment to compliance and transparency, which he believes has contributed to the company’s success in a challenging regulatory environment.

Could Higher Prices Follow For Future Listings?

The strong debut of Circle’s IPO could signal a shift in how institutional investors approach upcoming listings, potentially leading to higher initial public offering prices for future offerings. Notable companies preparing for IPOs include Omada Health, which is pricing on Thursday, and Klarna, a fintech firm set to list next week.

While Circle’s IPO share price initially set its market value at $6.1 billion—below its last private market valuation of $7.7 billion from 2021—Thursday’s trading surge adjusted that figure. 

By the close of trading, Circle’s market capitalization, excluding employee options, stood at an impressive $16.7 billion. The company successfully raised approximately $1.1 billion through the offering.

Circle’s journey to this point has been marked by challenges, including its previous attempt to go public. Circle’s previous attempt to go public via a merger was with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), which collapsed in late 2022 due to regulatory hurdles. 

The company’s largest outside shareholders include General Catalyst and IDG Capital, holding approximately 8.9% and 8.8% of all stock, respectively. Other significant backers such as Accel, Breyer Capital, and Oak Investment Partners continue to support Circle’s vision in the evolving crypto marketplace.

Circle

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

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Ripple IPO: Wall Street Veteran Explains Why Shares Could Surge 2000% Before Public Listing

Pro-XRP Wall Street financial analyst Linda Jones recently shared her thoughts on a potential Ripple Initial Public Offering (IPO). Specifically, she elaborated on her belief that the crypto firm was currently undervalued and how the company’s stocks could still rise before it went public. 

Why Ripple’s Stock Could Be Worth 20 Times Its Current Price

Linda Jones used Coinbase’s IPO as a mirror to explain why Ripple’s stock could be worth 20 times its current valuation. She noted that Coinbase was valued at $86 billion when it initially went public, and its stocks traded for as high as $429 during that period. If Ripple were to follow a similar path, then its stock price would be worth more than the $35, which it is currently valued at by private equity platform Linqto, Jones claimed. 

Interestingly, the analyst factored in Ripple’s escrowed XRP holdings while trying to estimate how much the crypto firm could eventually be valued. According to her, Ripple could be valued as high as $107 billion if those escrowed funds (said to be worth $21 billion) are added to the $86 billion (if Ripple were to be valued similarly to Coinbase).

Going by Jones’ analysis, Ripple having a valuation of $107 billion means that the company’s stocks could trade at $600 on the first day of being publicly listed. The analyst then went on to lay out a possible scenario where Ripple is valued at more than $107 billion, the amount under consideration. 

XRP price chart from Tradingview.com (Ripple)

How Ripple Could End Up Being Worth Half A Trillion 

Linda Jones also mentioned that Ripple could end up being worth half a trillion if the SEC’s case against Ripple were to end soon and XRP rises back to its all-time high (ATH). If the latter happens, Ripple’s escrowed XRP holdings will be worth around $150 billion. That could ultimately increase Ripple’s value to about $500 billion, the analyst claims. 

Jones believes that Ripple being valued at $500 billion during the IPO isn’t farfetched, considering that there are companies that are already valued at up to a trillion. She further compared Ripple to the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia, suggesting that the crypto firm could match up to these blue chip companies. 

The financial analyst’s belief in Ripple’s potential is why she boldly claims that purchasing Ripple’s stock now is a great investment, as it will only go “up” from here. She also predicts that there could be a new record for a company at its valuation, and Ripple could be that company. 

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Ripple IPO May Be Delayed, Crypto Pundit Gives Reasons Why

Crypto Pundit, Dushyant Shahrawat has suggested that the decline in the global financial technology companies may result in a delay in the highly anticipated Ripple IPO. 

FinTech Challenges May Push Back Ripple IPO Timeline

An XRP community member, Crypto Eri has shared details about Ripple IPO’s timeline in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The X post briefly shed light on a recent interview on NASDAQ Trade Talks, between global markets Reporter, Jill Malandrino and investment banker at Rosenblatt Securities, Dushyant Shahrawat.

When asked about his views on the current state of the financial technology industry, Shahrawat emphasized the declining performance of some major fintech companies. He mentioned companies like Block which had experienced major declines this year and saw its shares dropping more than 80% from its all-time high.

Shahrawat has stated that the underperformance of these fintech companies could result in a delay for cryptocurrencies scheduled to go public. He mentioned prominent names like Circle and Ripple, which had declared its intentions to initiate an IPO by 2024. 

“You can walk the hallways here, you’ve got Circle, Ripple, all the private fintech companies, unicorns, that were waiting in the wings to go public. That time frame (to IPO) got pushed back a little bit, quite a bit,” Shahrawat stated in the interview. 

Despite financial specialists predicting an early 2024 launch for the Ripple IPO, Shahrawat has hinted that a minor delay might be in store, at least until the bearish trend in the fintech sector shows signs of recovery. 

IPO Delay Amidst Regulatory Actions

A blockchain researcher and XRP community member, Collin Brown has also highlighted reasons contributing to Ripple’s IPO delay. Brown has disclosed that the present market conditions and the intensified regulatory scrutiny on Binance are the driving forces behind the postponement of Ripple’s IPO. 

“The Ripple IPO is being delayed due to market circumstances, as well as the need for the SEC and BlackRock to crack down on Binance. Now that the path is clear, they will likely prepare for another correction. This will allow Wall Street giants to buy Bitcoin and XRP at lower prices,” Brown said. 

The researcher has also stated that the price of XRP could be pushed toward $50 soon. This prediction is based on the potential approval of Bitcoin ETFs by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

“Former NYSE President believes a Bitcoin ETF will attract a flood of money into the industry. Easier access to BTC will likely drive adoption and investment. Once the bitcoin ETF is approved, the XRP ETF will follow suit, pushing the price to $50 per XRP,” Brown said.

XRP price chart from Tradingview.com (Ripple IPO)

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Ripple IPO: Expert Reveals Why Investors Should Be Cautious

In a recent development, a prominent figure in the XRP community has explained why members of the community should be careful about being so excited about a Ripple IPO. Using historical data, she elaborated on why an IPO isn’t as straightforward and profitable as some might think. 

Why Investors Should Be Cautious

In a post shared on her X (formerly Twitter) platform, Crypto Eri revealed how investors aren’t excited about IPOs in what sounded like a note of warning to those who are ready to go all in if Ripple were to go public. 

The reason for investors’ lack of enthusiasm seems to be that the biggest IPOs of 2021 have shed 60% of their value since going public. According to her, this fact has also made other private entities cautious to hold off on their plans to go public. 

She highlighted certain “essential components” that investors should insist on when listening to anyone talk about price analysis and a company’s valuation. These components include the components cash balance, debt, value of investment portfolio, total shares outstanding, and value of any on-hand assets. 

While Eri seems to be more cautious about a potential Ripple IPO, some others have taken a more bullish stance and are ready to go all in on it. One of them happens to be pro-XRP Wall Street financial analyst Linda Jones, who had predicted that a Ripple stock could be valued as high as $600. 

She also touted XRP as the next big thing in the financial market as she likened the crypto token to Microsoft and Apple’s stocks. 

Maybe Not The Right Time For A Ripple IPO

Eri’s warning also seemed to be directed at Ripple as she highlighted key points that might make the crypto company reconsider if an IPO was already in the works. She drew comparisons between Ripple and other similar types of companies, as the former could take a cue from some of their actions. 

Interestingly, one of them happens to be Ripple’s partner, Nium Global, which she noted was holding off its US IPO to “possibly the second quarter of 2025.” She alluded to the fact that this decision was made despite the fact that Nium Global is doing pretty well and even recently launched a liquidity hub for FX. 

The XRP community might, however, not have to worry about how Ripple will fare if it goes public now, as there is evidence to suggest that the company doesn’t plan on doing so anytime soon. 

The founder of Dizer Capital, Yassin Mobarak, recently revealed that Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse mentioned that a Ripple IPO wasn’t feasible until the company’s legal battle with the SEC is over.

XRP price chart from Tradingview.com (Ripple IPO)