Lead · Mechanism Analysis
100 USDC in your wallet, and the transfer still fails — because Ethereum only accepts ETH as a fee, not USDC. Circle Paymaster doesn't change that rule; it just hides the complexity from you.
Mei Yoshida
·
September 04, 2026
You've got 100 USDC sitting in your wallet and want to send some to a friend, but the transaction fails, and your wallet throws up a message: "Insufficient balance to cover Gas Fee." Your USDC is right there — so why is this happening? The answer: blockchain networks like Ethereum require transaction fees (gas) to be paid in that chain's own native Token — ETH on Ethereum, not USDC — even when...