Circle faces backlash after welcoming DJ Khaled to team USDC
Circle and CEO Jeremy Allaire welcomed DJ Khaled to 'team USDC' in a promotional post featuring a Chelsea FC jersey, drawing scrutiny over the music producer's 2018 SEC settlement for promoting an ICO scam.
Circle, the issuer of the $74 billion stablecoin USDC, shared a promotional photo of music producer DJ Khaled wearing a USDC-sponsored Chelsea FC shirt, with Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire posting 'welcome to team USDC.' Decrypt reported that nothing in Circle's posts formally announced a sponsorship agreement, and Protos reported that Khaled's own X feed did not mention any partnership with USDC.[3][2]
The posts quickly triggered widespread criticism across social media as users recalled Khaled's past regulatory troubles. In November 2018, Khaled reached a settlement of approximately $153,000 with the Securities and Exchange Commission without admitting or denying findings. The SEC charged him for failing to disclose a $50,000 payment from Centra Tech, a fraudulent $25 million initial coin offering whose co-founders later received prison sentences. As part of that settlement, Khaled agreed to a two-year ban on promoting digital or traditional securities.[3][2]
Crypto Briefing characterized Circle's promotion of Khaled as a misstep that demonstrates the hazards of celebrity tie-ins in the crypto industry, emphasizing the need for thorough due diligence and clear communication.[1]
Key facts
- Circle published a promotional photo of DJ Khaled wearing a USDC-sponsored Chelsea FC shirt, with CEO Jeremy Allaire posting 'welcome to team USDC.'
- Nothing in Circle's posts announced an official sponsorship agreement, according to Decrypt.
- DJ Khaled's personal X feed contained no mention of a USDC partnership, according to Protos.
- USDC is a stablecoin with $74 billion in circulation.
- Khaled settled with the SEC in November 2018 for failing to disclose a $50,000 payment from Centra Tech to promote its $25 million ICO.
- Khaled paid roughly $153,000 to settle the SEC charges and agreed not to promote any securities for two years.
Sources · 3 sources
- CB
Crypto BriefingArticle ·
Circle welcomes DJ Khaled to team USDC, sparking backlash on X Circle's misstep highlights the risks of celebrity associations in crypto, emphasizing the need for clear communication and thorough due diligence. The post Circle welcomes DJ Khaled to team USDC, sparking backlash on X appeared first on Crypto Briefing .
Open source - DE
DecryptArticle ·
Circle Welcomes DJ Khaled to 'Team USDC' and Crypto Twitter Is Furious Nothing in Circle's posts announces a sponsorship, but replies dug up Khaled's 2018 SEC settlement over a crypto fraud he promoted. The internet never forgets.
Open source - PR
ProtosArticle ·
Circle’s new USDC ambassador? DJ Khaled Circle, the issuer of $74 billion stablecoin USDC, has shared a promotional photo of music producer DJ Khaled sporting the new USDC-sponsored Chelsea FC shirt, with CEO Jeremy Allaire posting “welcome to team USDC.” This is despite Khaled’s history of undisclosed shilling of crypto projects, which landed him in trouble with the SEC back in 2018. Khaled’s own X feed doesn’t mention any partnership with USDC. Circle really hired the guy who was charged with promoting one of the only ICO scams that was so stupid, so blatantly fraudulent, so criminal that it was written up in NYTimes and then promptly prosecuted by DOJ *and* SEC??????? https://t.co/a7rAMIU5WU https://t.co/nMz60TK50R — Tay (@tayvano_) October 6, 2026 Read more: Circle’s refusal to ‘burn and reissue’ stolen USDC angers prosecutors, report The charges in question relate to Centra Tech, a $25 million ICO which landed one co-founder in prison for eight years and another for one year . A third, who cooperated with authorities, later appeared in a Netflix documentary about the scam. A November 2018 SEC press release details how Khaled, real name Khaled Khaled, alongside boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., settled with the SEC after “failing to disclose payments they received for promoting investments in ICOs.” Khaled’s role reportedly involved telling his X followers to “get yours before they sell out, I got mine…” In the SEC’s first charges relating to “touting” ICOs, it claims that Khaled was paid $50,000 from Centra Tech. Mayweather received $100,000, plus another $200,000 from two other ICOs. “Without admitting or denying the findings,” the duo paid settlements of approximately $153,000 and $615,000, respectively, with Khaled agreeing not to promote any “securities, digital or otherwise,” for two years. Read more: Bitconned: The story of Miami crypto bros facing 100 years in prison ‘Another one…’ Partnering with an ICO shill is the latest in a string of gaffes from Circle. The recent launch of its own corporate-focused blockchain, Arc, was accompanied by a “fellow kids” moment when a Circle team member promoted a memecoin based on Allaire’s dog Duke. Briefly peaking at a market cap of around $2 million, the DUKE token is down 96% in the three weeks since launch. the duke of @arc has entered the chat I hear it's @jerallaire dog pic.twitter.com/5I2S5RDpRj — Rachel Mayer (@0xrachelita) September 16, 2026 Read more: ‘Bad actor’ Circle slammed for letting stolen $3M USDC sit unfrozen More seriously, Circle is routinely criticized for its inaction in the wake of major crypto hacks in its failure to use USDC’s built-in freeze function, especially when compared to rival Tether. Earlier this year, $3 million of USDC sat in a SwapNet hacker address for hours before being swapped to unfreezable assets. Similar criticism was levelled at Circle following hacks of GMX and ByBit , last year. On-chain investigator and frequent Circle critic ZachXBT even claims to have identified $420 million of “compliance failures” across 15 incidents. Surprisingly, Circle did react first in response to the $350 million Bitget hack , blacklisting an address holding almost 100,000 USDC, beating Tether by seven hours. Got a tip? Send us an email securely via Protos Leaks . For more informed news and investigations, follow us on X , Bluesky , and Google News , or subscribe to our YouTube channel. The post Circle’s new USDC ambassador? DJ Khaled appeared first on Protos .
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