Circle Launches Arc Mainnet With USDC as Native Token

USDC issuer Circle has launched the mainnet of Arc, a layer-1 blockchain designed for stablecoin payments and financial markets, with a particular focus on transactions involving autonomous AI agents.

Arc uses USDC as its native gas asset and is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). The network also provides deterministic settlement finality in under one second, according to an Arc announcement.

Arc launches with stablecoins and tokenized assets

The blockchain supports more than 20 fiat-backed stablecoins, including USDC, EURC, JPYC, KRW1 and TRYB. Tokenized assets such as BlackRock’s BUIDL and Circle’s USYC are also available natively on the network. Arc can connect with more than 20 other blockchains through Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) and Gateway, providing interoperability across multiple blockchain ecosystems.

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire called Arc “the single most significant launch in Circle’s history since USDC itself.” In a separate post on X, Circle said Arc was designed for “programmable money, global markets, and agentic economic activity,” positioning the blockchain as stablecoin-native infrastructure for developers and financial institutions.

Arc builds on extensive institutional testing

The mainnet launch follows Arc’s public testnet debut in October 2025. At the time, Circle said more than 100 companies were participating, including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard and Visa. Circle also announced in August that more than 100 institutional and ecosystem participants had taken part in Arc’s private mainnet ahead of its public release.

The involvement of major financial and payment companies reflects Circle’s focus on developing Arc as infrastructure for institutional finance, tokenized assets and stablecoin-based payments.

Arc eyes proof-of-stake transition

Arc plans to gradually expand participation in the network’s operations and is exploring a transition from Proof of Authority to Proof of Stake in 2027. Circle also completed the genesis mint of 10 billion ARC tokens this week. However, the company clarified that creating the tokens does not represent a commitment to make ARC publicly available.

Sources:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260916108863/en/Circle-Launches-Arc-Mainnet-an-Economic-Operating-System-for-the-Internet

https://cointelegraph.com/news/circle-arc-mainnet-launch-usdc-native-gas

https://www.arc.io/blog/arc-economic-os-internet