Circle launches Arc with 10 billion ARC
- Circle Internet Group has launched Arc, its new Layer 1 blockchain, with more than 100 applications.
- BlackRock, Visa and nine other institutions are joining Arc as founding validators in phases.
- Circle has minted 10 billion ARC tokens, but has not committed to a public token launch.
Circle Internet Group has launched the public mainnet of Arc, with more than 100 applications available from day one.
Arc uses USDC for gas fees and offers sub-second finality, while its testnet processed more than 700 million transactions.
“Arc is the single most significant launch in Circle's history since USDC itself,” said Circle Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO Jeremy Allaire.
BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, DTCC, ICE and six other institutions are joining Arc as founding validators through a phased rollout.
Circle has also completed the US-based genesis mint of 10 billion ARC tokens, but said this does not commit it to a public launch.
The company plans to explore a shift from proof of authority to proof of stake in 2027, while USDC will remain the network’s fee currency.
Circle has also integrated its payments network and StableFX into Arc, while a Circle and DTCC tokenisation project is planned for the second half of 2027.
