Circle Launches Arc Blockchain Mainnet with USDC as Native Gas Token
Circle has launched its Arc blockchain mainnet, a purpose-built Layer 1 network designed for stablecoin finance and institutional markets. The USDC stablecoin serves as the native gas token on Arc, providing predictable and dollar-denominated transaction costs.
The Arc blockchain is EVM-compatible, allowing developers to use existing Ethereum-based tools and Solidity smart contracts with minimal changes. Over 100 institutional and ecosystem builders participated in the launch, including major financial institutions such as BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, and Standard Chartered.
Uniswap, Aave, and Morpho are among the major DeFi protocols building on Arc, providing trading, lending, payments, and liquidity services. Circle has designed Arc around features supporting institutional financial activity, including deterministic sub-second finality and EVM compatibility.