Circle is advancing the phase-out of its first-generation Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol, known as CCTP V1, as the final month of operations begins. The company will start lowering burn limits on Saturday, October 31, 2026, ahead of a complete pause of the V1 contracts on December 1, 2026. After that date, any applications, wallets or bridge services still connected to the legacy system will no longer be able to transfer USDC between blockchains.

CCTP V1 enables USDC movement by burning tokens on the source chain and minting an equivalent amount on the destination chain, subject to Circle’s attestation. The successor protocol, CCTP V2, operates on separate smart contracts and a distinct application programming interface. It is not backward compatible, requiring developers to update their integrations rather than continue with existing V1 calls.

Gradual Capacity Reductions Through November

Circle outlined the schedule in an August 27, 2026 migration notice, following an initial announcement of the V1 transition on November 14, 2025. Burn limits, which control the volume of USDC that can be destroyed for reminting on another chain, will be reduced progressively. Performance is expected to decline over the course of November so that legacy usage reaches zero before the contracts stop accepting new activity.

Specific interim limit levels and the exact dates of each reduction have not been disclosed. Circle plans to maintain sufficient minting capacity to allow any transfers that have already received attestation to complete before the December 1 pause. Users retain access to their funds throughout the process, and pending redemptions remain available.

Migration Requirements for Developers

Applications still relying on V1 must switch to CCTP V2 to preserve cross-chain USDC functionality. The newer version introduces Standard and Fast Transfer options, programmable hooks that can trigger actions on the destination chain upon arrival of USDC, and support across a wider set of blockchains. V1 carried no transfer fees in the same manner, while Fast Transfer pricing under V2 varies by source chain.

Failure to migrate by the December deadline will halt cross-chain routing for those integrations. Circle has stated that the phase-out applies specifically to the transfer routes and does not affect on-chain holdings of USDC itself.

Separate Timeline for Noble

Noble follows a distinct schedule because it will not receive CCTP V2 support. Circle intends to suspend the USDC contract on Noble along with all remaining cross-chain routes on January 12, 2027. On that date the company will take a snapshot of remaining balances. Manual redemptions are scheduled to begin the following day, January 13, 2027.

Holders are advised to transfer USDC off Noble before the January cutoff. Eligibility for the manual process requires that the wallet address appear in the snapshot, that assets be held in a holder-controlled wallet, and that compliance and security checks be satisfied. After the general December 1 pause, exits from Noble may be restricted to destinations that continue to support V1 burns until the later suspension takes effect.

Circle has indicated that other chains previously limited to V1 have already transitioned to V2 support, leaving Noble as the primary exception with the extended wind-down period.