Key facts
- Circle has launched the mainnet of its Arc layer-1 blockchain.
- Arc uses USDC as its native gas asset.
- The network supports over 20 fiat stablecoins, including USDC, EURC, JPYC, KRW1, and TRYB.
- Tokenized assets like BlackRock's BUIDL and Circle's USYC are available on Arc.
- Arc offers interoperability with over 20 blockchains via Circle's Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) and Gateway.
- Circle completed the genesis mint of 10 billion ARC tokens.
Circle, the issuer of USD Coin (USDC), has officially launched the mainnet for its Arc blockchain. This new layer-1 network is designed to cater to stablecoin payments and financial markets, with a particular focus on agentic transactions. Arc utilizes USDC as its native gas asset, offering EVM compatibility and deterministic sub-second settlement finality. The network natively supports over 20 fiat stablecoins, including USDC, EURC, JPYC, KRW1, and TRYB, as well as tokenized assets such as BlackRock's BUIDL and Circle's own USYC. Interoperability with more than 20 other blockchains is facilitated through Circle's Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) and Gateway. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire described the launch as "the single most significant launch in Circle’s history since USDC itself." The company stated that Arc is built for "programmable money, global markets, and agentic economic activity," positioning it as stablecoin-native infrastructure for developers and institutions. The launch follows a public testnet debut in October 2025, which saw participation from over 100 companies, including major financial players like BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, and Visa. Circle also completed the genesis mint of 10 billion ARC tokens this week, though it has not committed to a public launch of the token. Arc plans to transition from Proof of Authority to Proof of Stake in 2027.