Circle publishes framework for releasing new assets on their platforms. The criteria categories are fundamentals, technology, people, business model, and market dynamics. In addition, they also announce that they refuse to accept money to list an asset and all added assets must pass a legal review.
Circle published a framework of questions used in determining what assets will be listed on their platform. Since many projects are at different points in their development stage, the questions are used to prioritize the project listings. Use the “Circle Asset Listing Form” to have your project potentially listed. Currently, Circle lists Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, Monero, and Zcash. While the platform Poloniex, their newly bought exchange, lists about 100.
The five categories of questions are around fundamentals, technology, people, business model, and market dynamics. Below are a few of the questions listed:
Fundamentals: Does this project align with the core tenets of the cryptocurrency community?
Technology: Does this project employ robust underlying technology in the realization of its goals?
People: Does this project have a strong, committed, and experienced team behind it?
Business Model: Does this project create real value for a meaningful number of end users? Is it set up to succeed?
Market Dynamics: Are there indicators of sufficient liquidity and interest in the market?
The most important section in the framework is in the footnotes at the bottom of the last page. It states, “In addition to these questions, all assets we list must pass a legal review in the jurisdictions in which they are listed. Please note: we will not accept any kind of payment to list an asset.”
This is very different to how assets are listed on other exchanges, as it is common practice for a development team to pay an exchange a lot of money to list their coin/token. It is clear that Circle is setting itself up to be a major player in the space, similar to what Coinbase has been in the past few years. They recognize there is more money to be made by following the rules and playing nice with lawmakers and regulators.
