AUSD vs USDC Gas Fee Calculator
Calculate how much you could save by using AUSD instead of USDC for Ethereum transactions. AUSD transactions cost approximately $0.45 compared to USDC's $0.94 per transaction.
Why AUSD costs less: Agora optimized the smart contract to use less computational power on Ethereum. AUSD's contract skips unnecessary steps compared to standard ERC-20 tokens, cutting gas usage by about 52% compared to USDC.
AUSD is not another speculative crypto coin. It’s a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin built for institutions, not retail traders. Launched in July 2024 by Agora - a fintech firm led by former VanEck executive Nick van Eck - AUSD was designed to fix the broken parts of today’s stablecoins. While most stablecoins like USDC and USDT focus on volume and liquidity, AUSD focuses on security, compliance, and cross-chain efficiency. If you’re wondering why anyone would need another dollar-pegged coin, the answer lies in how it’s built - and who it’s built for.
How AUSD Works: Backed 1:1, Not Algorithmic
AUSD is 100% backed by real U.S. dollars. Not by complex algorithms. Not by collateralized crypto. Not by promises. The reserves are held in cash, overnight repurchase agreements, and U.S. Treasury bills with maturities under 90 days. That’s the same kind of safe, liquid assets banks use to manage short-term cash. This structure makes AUSD fundamentally different from UST, the algorithmic stablecoin that collapsed in 2022 and wiped out $40 billion in market value.
Every AUSD token you hold is tied directly to a dollar sitting in Agora’s reserve account. And unlike some competitors, AUSD doesn’t try to pay you interest. That’s intentional. Yield-bearing stablecoins often take on hidden risks - lending your money to unknown DeFi protocols, borrowing against it, or investing in illiquid assets. AUSD avoids all of that. It’s designed to be a digital dollar you can trust, not a yield farm with hidden exposure.
Multi-Chain by Design: No More Bridging Delays
AUSD runs on six blockchains: Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, Polygon, Arbitrum, and Mantle. That’s rare. Most stablecoins stick to one chain, forcing users to use bridges - slow, expensive, and risky third-party tools that can take minutes or even hours to settle. AUSD’s "Instant Liquidity" feature lets you mint AUSD directly from USDC or USDT on any supported chain in under 15 seconds. No waiting. No slippage. No third-party custody.
On Ethereum, AUSD is an ERC-20 token with the contract address 0x00000000efe302beaa2b3e6e1b18d08d69a9012a. On Solana, it’s an SPL token. Each chain has its own supply, but all are backed by the same reserve pool. This means if you’re a fintech company moving money between Ethereum and Solana, you don’t need to worry about liquidity gaps or bridging failures. AUSD handles it natively.
Lower Fees, Faster Transactions
One of AUSD’s biggest selling points is cost. On Ethereum, average transaction fees for AUSD are around $0.45. Compare that to USDC, which averages $0.94 - nearly double. That’s not a small difference when you’re moving millions of dollars daily. Agora achieved this by optimizing the smart contract to use less gas. It’s not magic. It’s engineering.
For enterprise users, this adds up fast. One fintech CEO on Reddit reported a 30% drop in transaction costs after switching from USDC to AUSD on Ethereum. For companies processing hundreds of payments a day, that’s tens of thousands in savings annually.
Institutional-Grade Security and Transparency
AUSD doesn’t just say it’s transparent - it proves it. Every quarter, independent accounting firm BPM LLP audits the reserves and publishes a report. That’s the same level of scrutiny public companies face. On top of that, Agora uses Artemis, a blockchain analytics platform, to monitor reserves in real time. Anyone can verify the reserve balance on Artemis’ public dashboard.
Artemis gave AUSD an "A+" rating for transparency - higher than USDC’s "A" and USDT’s "B". That’s significant. In a market where trust is scarce, AUSD is one of the few stablecoins with public, verifiable, third-party proof of backing.
Market Position: Small But Growing
As of December 2, 2025, AUSD has a market cap of $183.5 million and a circulating supply of 183.86 million tokens. Its price is $0.9982 - essentially pegged to the dollar. That’s tiny compared to USDT ($88.7 billion) and USDC ($48.5 billion), which together control over 80% of the stablecoin market.
AUSD holds about 0.11% market share. But it’s not competing for retail users. It’s targeting institutions: hedge funds, trading firms, fintechs, and corporate treasuries. Over 89% of AUSD transactions come from enterprise users, according to Agora’s own data. It’s not meant to be on Coinbase or PayPal. It’s meant to be in treasury systems, institutional wallets, and cross-border payment rails.
Who Uses AUSD? And Who Doesn’t?
Real users are already using it. Fidelity Digital Assets, Kraken Institutional, and 12 other enterprise partners have integrated AUSD into their workflows. Developers rate Agora’s API documentation at 4.3/5 on GitHub. On Reddit, enterprise users praise its seamless integration with treasury systems and low fees.
But retail users? They struggle. AUSD is listed on only 23 exchanges. USDC is on 187. If you try to swap AUSD on Uniswap, you’ll likely face 2%+ slippage because the liquidity pools are small. One user on CryptoCompare wrote: "Only 23 exchanges list AUSD. On-ramps are nearly impossible for normal people."
That’s not a flaw - it’s a design choice. AUSD isn’t trying to be the next USDT. It’s trying to be the digital dollar for banks and regulated businesses. Retail adoption is a side effect, not a goal.
What’s Next for AUSD?
Agora’s roadmap is ambitious. In May 2025, they launched AUSD on Solana, which boosted monthly transfer volume by 157%. Now they’re working on connecting AUSD to SWIFT - the global banking network used by JPMorgan, Citibank, and others. A pilot with five major banks is set to launch in Q3 2026.
If successful, AUSD could become the first stablecoin to bridge DeFi and traditional finance at the infrastructure level. That’s not hype. It’s a direct response to the regulatory pressure banks are under. The proposed 2026 Stablecoin Transparency Act will force issuers to prove their reserves. AUSD is already compliant.
Should You Use AUSD?
If you’re a retail trader looking to buy and hold crypto? Stick with USDC or USDT. AUSD’s low liquidity makes it risky for small trades. Slippage, limited exchange access, and thin order books aren’t worth the hassle.
If you’re a developer building a financial product? AUSD is worth testing. Its low fees, multi-chain support, and clean API make it a strong candidate for enterprise payment systems, treasury automation, or cross-border settlement tools.
If you’re an institution worried about regulatory risk? AUSD is one of the few stablecoins with the pedigree, transparency, and backing to survive the coming wave of regulation. VanEck’s involvement isn’t just branding - it’s a signal that this project understands banking compliance, not just blockchain.
AUSD isn’t here to replace USDC. It’s here to replace the parts of USDC that institutions can’t trust.
Technical Specs at a Glance
- Launch Date: July 7, 2024
- Backing: 1:1 U.S. dollar (cash, overnight repos, short-term Treasuries)
- Blockchains: Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, Polygon, Arbitrum, Mantle
- Contract Address (Ethereum): 0x00000000efe302beaa2b3e6e1b18d08d69a9012a
- Decimals: 6
- Transaction Cost (Ethereum): ~$0.45 (vs. $0.94 for USDC)
- Reserve Audits: Quarterly by BPM LLP
- Reserve Transparency: Real-time monitoring via Artemis
- Market Cap (Dec 2, 2025): $183.5 million
- Circulating Supply: 183.86 million
- 24-Hour Volume: $36,372
- Exchanges Listed: 23
Is AUSD a good investment?
AUSD isn’t designed as an investment. It’s a digital dollar. Its value is meant to stay at $1.00. You won’t get rich holding it. But if you’re using it to move money between blockchains or settle payments, it can save you money and reduce risk. For traders, it’s not ideal due to low liquidity. For institutions, it’s a tool.
Is AUSD safer than USDC or USDT?
In terms of reserve backing and transparency, AUSD is stronger than USDT and comparable to USDC. Artemis gave AUSD an A+ rating for transparency, higher than USDT’s B. USDC has an A. But safety isn’t just about reserves - it’s about who controls the money. AUSD is issued by Agora, a smaller company than Circle (USDC) or Tether (USDT). That means less brand recognition, but also less exposure to political or legal risks tied to big players. For regulated institutions, that’s a plus.
Can I buy AUSD on Coinbase or Binance?
No. AUSD is not listed on Coinbase, Binance, or PayPal. It’s only available on 23 exchanges, mostly smaller or institutional-focused platforms like Kraken Institutional, Bitrue, and MEXC. If you’re a retail user, you’ll need to buy USDC or USDT first, then swap it for AUSD on one of those exchanges. That adds steps and fees.
Why does AUSD have lower gas fees?
Agora optimized the smart contract to use less computational power on Ethereum. Standard ERC-20 transfers use more gas because they’re built for general use. AUSD’s contract skips unnecessary steps - like checking for non-standard token approvals or handling complex metadata. This cuts gas usage by about 52% compared to USDC on Ethereum. It’s a technical tweak, not a magic trick.
What happens if Agora goes bankrupt?
The reserves are held separately from Agora’s operating funds. They’re not part of the company’s balance sheet. If Agora shuts down, the reserves still exist. Theoretically, token holders could still redeem AUSD for dollars through a legal winding-down process. But that’s untested. No stablecoin issuer has ever gone bankrupt. The real risk is regulatory action - if the U.S. government bans or restricts private stablecoins, AUSD could be frozen or delisted. That’s a systemic risk, not a company-specific one.
Is AUSD regulated?
AUSD isn’t officially licensed like a bank. But it was built with regulation in mind. Its reserve structure matches what the U.S. Treasury and SEC want to see: 1:1 backing, regular audits, real-time transparency, and no yield generation. Agora has engaged with regulators since launch. It’s not a regulated entity - but it’s one of the few stablecoins designed to pass regulatory scrutiny.
Love that they're using Artemis for real-time transparency too. Most projects just throw out a quarterly audit and call it a day. AUSD actually lets you verify reserves live. That's next-level trust.
and dont even get me started on that 'A+' rating from artemis - who even is that? some startup with a fancy dashboard? this is all theater. the real money is still in usdt and usdc. this is just a vanity project for fintech bros.
And isn’t that what we lost in crypto? Not the tech - the meaning.