The cryptocurrency company, which offers fully backed digital money for rapid global payments around the clock, priced its IPO above the expected range.

Circle, the company behind the $61 billion stablecoin USDC, made a roaring debut on the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, becoming the first stablecoin issuer to go public and making CEO and cofounder Jeremy Allaire a billionaire.

Just look at the robust demand for the initial public offering of Circle Internet Group, the leader in the world of stablecoins. The stock, which more than doubled in its first few minutes of trading before being halted three times,