Arc Blockchain Launches Public Mainnet on September 16

Circle is launching its public mainnet on September 16, 2026, for the Arc blockchain. The open, EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain was designed specifically for stablecoin payments and tokenized assets. With USDC as the native gas asset, fees are priced in a dollar-pegged unit rather than a volatile token.

The Arc network is secured by a permissioned validator set, which includes 11 founding validators alongside Circle itself. These institutions include BlackRock, Mastercard, and Visa, among others. This setup provides deterministic settlement finality in under a second, ensuring that transactions are either unconfirmed or completely final once more than two-thirds of the validator set commits it.

The launch will also introduce an initial Arc product suite, which includes a composable app framework for common on-chain workflows and tools for building applications and smart contracts. Additionally, Circle will provide capabilities to help asset issuers deploy and manage tokenized real-world assets.