Circle Launches Arc Mainnet with Major Institutional Backing

Circle has launched its Layer 1 blockchain, Arc, on mainnet. The EVM-compatible blockchain was announced to have BlackRock, Depository Trust and Clearing Corp., Visa, Mastercard, and other major institutions as part of its founding validator cohort.

According to Circle, Arc is designed for financial markets, real-time money movement, and AI agents transacting on their own. The network is EVM-compatible, allowing existing Solidity contracts to deploy without rewrite.

Circle's CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that 'Arc is the single most significant launch in Circle's history since USDC itself.' Fees on the network are priced in USDC, and settlement takes under a second with deterministic finality.