Circle Launches Blockchain 'Arc' Mainnet Targeting Stablecoin Transactions

Circle has officially launched its Layer 1 blockchain 'Arc' mainnet, which uses USDC as a transaction fee asset. According to CoinTelegraph, Arc is designed for stablecoin payments, financial markets, and agent-based trading.

The network is EVM-compatible and offers sub-second payment finality. Circle emphasizes Arc as a developer- and institution-focused infrastructure centered around stablecoins, positioning it as programmable money for global markets and agent economy activities.

Arc supports over 20 fiat-backed stablecoins including USDC, EURC, JPYC, KRW1, and TRYB, alongside tokenized assets like BlackRock's BUIDL and Circle's USYC. It also provides native support for these tokens and interoperability with over 20 blockchains via Circle's cross-chain transfer protocol (CCTP) and gateway.

The launch follows the public testnet release in October 2025, which saw participation from over 100 companies including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, and Visa. Prior to the mainnet launch, Circle reported over 100 institutions and ecosystem participants joined its private mainnet released in August.

Jeremy Allaire, Circle's CEO, called Arc the most important release in Circle's history since USDC's launch. The company plans to expand network participation and is considering a transition from Proof-of-Stake to Proof-of-Work by 2027.