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USDC blacklist check

Circle maintains a blacklist on every native USDC contract; a blacklisted address can neither send nor receive USDC. This USDC blacklist check calls the official contract's isBlacklisted function live on the network you select. Sanctions list data is shown alongside. Bridged or third-party "USDC" tokens are not native USDC, so they are not checked.

Why check USDC separately from USDT

Tether and Circle run independent blacklists and respond to different requests. An address can be frozen by one and untouched by the other. If your customers fund in both stablecoins, both issuer states belong in the deposit record.

KYTGate reads both at deposit time on the chain the funds actually arrived on, and keeps the result in a signed Decision Receipt together with the sanctions snapshot hash used for the decision.

How a USDC blacklist works

USDC's contract has a blacklister role held by Circle. When an address is added, the contract refuses any transfer where it is the sender or the recipient, and it cannot approve spending either. The balance stays on the address but cannot move until Circle removes it. The read here is a live isBlacklisted(address) call, the contract's own answer at the moment you ask.

What this means for a payout

Because USDC blocks the recipient too, paying out to a blacklisted address fails on-chain instead of trapping the funds. The risk for a broker is the step before: approving a withdrawal to an address that was already blacklisted, or crediting a deposit whose source was blacklisted just after it arrived. Checking at the moment of the decision, and keeping that answer, closes both.

USDC addresses frozen right now, by chain

Ethereum
655
196 lifted
Base
502
93 lifted
Polygon
479
97 lifted
Avalanche
479
96 lifted
OP Mainnet
476
93 lifted
Arbitrum
424
93 lifted

Addresses whose latest event on the contract is a freeze, read from the contracts' own blacklist events. “≥” means that contract's history is still being read. Coverage per contract is on the stablecoin freeze tracker.

Questions people ask

Can a blacklisted address receive USDC?

No. Circle's USDC contract checks both sides of a transfer: the sender and the recipient must both be off the blacklist, or the transfer is rejected. This differs from USDT on Ethereum, where only the sender is checked and tokens can still land on a frozen address.

Which networks does this check read?

Native USDC on Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, Avalanche and OP Mainnet, each through the contract Circle issues on that network. Every network has its own contract and its own blacklist, so select the network the funds actually moved on.

What about bridged USDC, like USDC.e?

Bridged USDC is a wrapped token issued by a bridge, not by Circle, and Circle's blacklist does not apply to it. This tool does not check bridged tokens, because a 'not blacklisted' answer there would mean nothing.

Is a blacklisted USDC address a sanctioned address?

Not necessarily. Circle blacklists addresses under its own policy, including for sanctions and court orders, but a blacklist entry is Circle's action on its contract, not a government listing. The sanctions result is shown alongside so you can see both.

Check every USDC deposit before you credit it

KYTGate screens each crypto deposit and withdrawal against the OFAC, UK and EU lists and the USDT/USDC issuer freezes, decides under your written policy, and keeps a signed record an auditor can check without us.

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