Circle opened Arc mainnet to the public on September 16 after a private phase with institutional builders. The company pitches Arc as an “Economic OS for the internet.” In practice, Arc targets payments, capital markets, tokenized assets, and AI agents that move money. Notably, it launches with assets, applications, and Circle’s platform services already running. According to Arc’s launch announcement, more than 190 institutional and ecosystem builders now work across the network.
Arc Mainnet is live.
— Arc (@arc) September 16, 2026
Arc launches as the Economic OS for the internet: an open platform for global markets, real-time value movement, tokenized assets, and agentic economic activity.
Arc is more than a blockchain.
It launches as a full-stack financial platform with assets,… pic.twitter.com/SWg0NlUijO
USDC as Gas and Sub-Second Finality
Arc’s core design removes frictions that keep institutions off public chains. First, users pay network fees in USDC instead of a volatile native token. As a result, treasury teams can forecast transaction costs in dollars. Second, Arc delivers deterministic sub-second finality, which payments and securities settlement require. Additionally, Arc runs as an EVM-compatible chain, so developers can port existing Solidity contracts. Before launch, the Arc testnet processed more than 700 million transactions since October 2025.
A Validator Set Built From Traditional Finance
Arc’s validator lineup stands out more than any technical feature. Circle secures the network alongside 11 founding validators that span several roles:
- Asset managers and market infrastructure: BlackRock, DTCC, and ICE
- Card networks and payments: Visa, Mastercard, Global Payments, and MoneyGram
- Banks and conglomerates: Standard Chartered, SBI Group, and Sumitomo Corporation
- Digital asset firms: Galaxy
However, Arc currently runs as a permissioned proof-of-authority network. Circle plans a transition to proof of stake in 2027. Until then, Arc operates closer to a consortium model than an open validator market. For regulated users, though, a known set of operators may count as a feature.
Circle’s Product Stack Arrives at Genesis
Circle bundled its existing products directly into Arc. Arc Studio works as an onchain coding agent that generates and deploys full applications from a text prompt. Meanwhile, Arc App Kits package fiat onramps and Morpho-powered lending into ready SDKs. Arc Portal serves as the user entry point for wallets, swaps, and app discovery. CCTP and Gateway connect Arc to more than 20 blockchains for native USDC transfers. Finally, StableFX offers 24/7 programmable FX across more than 20 fully reserved stablecoins through Circle Payments Network.
Tokenized Assets and DeFi Liquidity From Day One
Arc also launches with real-world assets onchain. BlackRock deploys its BUIDL tokenized money market fund, alongside Circle’s USYC and Janus Henderson’s JAAA and JTRSY. Additionally, DTCC plans to tokenize DTC-custodied assets on Arc starting in the second half of 2027. On the liquidity side, Aave and Morpho handle lending while Uniswap and Curve support trading. Furthermore, exchanges like Binance and Kraken and custodians like Anchorage and Fireblocks support Arc at launch.
Agents and the ARC Token Question
Circle treats AI agents as a core Arc user. The Circle Agent Stack provides policy-controlled agent wallets and sub-cent USDC nanopayments. In turn, agents can pay for data or compute without human approval on each transaction. Separately, Circle completed a genesis mint of 10 billion ARC tokens this week, per The Block. However, Circle has not committed to a public token launch, and fees still run in USDC. Ultimately, Arc’s success depends on whether institutions move real settlement volume onto the network.
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