Circle has launched Arc to bring stablecoin payments and financial transactions onto a Layer 1 blockchain with fees paid in USDC.
The company reported more than 100 applications at launch, with over 100 institutions and ecosystem builders live on or exploring its private mainnet before the public launch.
The Circle Arc mainnet integrates with the company’s broader platform.
StableFX supports round-the-clock foreign exchange settlement, while Circle Payments Network enables cross-border payments.
“Arc is the single most significant launch in Circle’s history since USDC itself, and it is the embodiment of the premise we have operated on for thirteen years: money should work the way the internet works. USDC was step one. Arc is the network built for what comes next.
The agentic economy and the onchain economy are not two different revolutions; they are the same economy seen from two sides, and both need infrastructure that never closes, settles in under a second, and is trusted by the institutions that anchor the global financial system,”
said Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Circle.
Founding validators will join Circle in operating and securing the network through a phased rollout.
Participants include BlackRock, DTCC, ICE, Mastercard, SBI Group, Standard Chartered and Visa. Only approved validators can validate transactions.
Trading platforms at launch include Aero, fomo and Uniswap, while Aave and Morpho support lending markets.
Assets include Circle’s USYC tokenised money market fund and BUIDL, a treasury fund tokenised by Securitize.
Circle’s tools also let users fund AI agent wallets, set spending limits and delegate onchain tasks.
Developers can use existing Ethereum-compatible contracts and tools.
New offerings include Arc Studio for AI-assisted application development and Arc App Kits for adding payments, swaps and other financial functions.
What Comes Next for Arc
Circle is developing AgentVM to let AI agents work with sensitive data in a protected environment and allow applications to verify results without exposing that data.
Optional transaction and balance privacy also remains in development for network-wide release.
The company has minted an initial supply of 10 billion ARC tokens as it explores a transition from proof of authority to proof of stake in 2027.
ARC is intended to support network security, utility and governance.
Circle stressed that the mint does not commit it to a public token launch. Transaction fees will remain payable in USDC.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by texvector via Magnific
