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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [TECHNOLOGY]

2 clusters · 5 sources · 3 days · First seen · Last updated

Circle Arc blockchain launch

Overview

Circle has launched Arc, an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain designed to support financial markets, stablecoins, and AI agents. The mainnet went live on September 16, 2026, utilizing USDC as the native gas and settlement asset to prevent transaction fee volatility.

The network employs the Malachite consensus engine to provide sub-second deterministic finality. To facilitate machine-led economic activity, Circle introduced the Agent Stack, which provides AI agents with tools for nanopayments, reputation systems, and provenance proofs.

The project features significant institutional participation, with entities such as BlackRock, Visa, and Mastercard serving as validators. At launch, Circle deployed $649 million in USDC and $7 million in EURC onto the network. The ARC token has a fully diluted valuation of approximately $3 billion. Additionally, the Argus launchpad deployed its contract stack during the deployment window, utilizing a model where the token supply enters a single Uniswap v4 liquidity position.

Entities

Circle · Visa · Mastercard · Nikhil Chandhok · BlackRock

Timeline

  1. 2 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    Circle launches Arc blockchain for AI agents and stablecoins

    Circle has launched Arc, a Layer-1 blockchain using USDC for gas fees, designed to facilitate transactions for AI agents with institutional support from BlackRock and Visa.

  2. 4 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    Circle launches Arc blockchain for financial markets

    Circle has launched Arc, an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain for financial services that uses USDC for gas and settlement, supported by over 100 participants including BlackRock and Visa.

Sources

blogs.airdropalert.com · cryptobriefing.com · cryptopolitan.com · themarketperiodical.com · TIME.com