Circle Unveils Arc Blockchain With Fast Payments and Stablecoin Fees
Circle has launched its own blockchain called Arc, which is designed to facilitate fast and secure payments for institutions. The public mainnet of Arc went live on September 16, 2026, after a private-mainnet phase involving over 100 institutional and ecosystem builders.
Arc's commercial pitch centers around predictable transaction costs, settlement in under a second, and connections to Circle's existing payments and foreign-exchange services. The network uses the USDC dollar stablecoin to pay transaction fees, also known as gas, which can be covered by the business holding digital dollars.
Circle faces substantial competition from established rivals such as Tempo, which offers similar features like fast settlement and stablecoin-focused design. Arc's compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine allows developers to reuse familiar programming tools and existing application code.