CRCL is trading 6.8% up now at $80.56 after announcing a deal to acquire Interop Labs, the core developer team behind the Axelar Network.
- The acquisition includes Interop Labs' intellectual property and is intended to fold Axelar’s cross-chain technology into Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) and Arc blockchain.
- The strategic goal is to improve USDC liquidity and settlement speed across the ecosystem.
- Today’s jump appears tied specifically to this expansionary, crypto-infrastructure acquisition rather than a broad crypto rally.