Circle Launches Arc Blockchain With BlackRock, Visa as Backers

Circle's new Arc blockchain goes live with 100+ partners, backed by giants like BlackRock, Visa and Mastercard for payments and trading.

Circle, the company behind the popular digital dollar USDC, has launched a brand-new blockchain called Arc. The CEO called it the biggest launch in the company's history since USDC itself.

First, some basics. A blockchain is a digital record-keeping system that lets people send money and make deals without needing a middleman like a bank. A stablecoin (like USDC) is a type of crypto designed to always be worth about $1, making it less wobbly than coins like Bitcoin. USDC now has around $74 billion in use worldwide.

What makes this launch special is who's involved. Arc went live with over 100 partners on its first day, including some of the biggest names in finance:

BlackRock — the world's largest investment manager
Visa and Mastercard — the giant payment card networks
DTCC, ICE, Standard Chartered and Japan's SBI Group

These companies act as validators — meaning they help check and approve transactions on the network to keep it honest and running smoothly. Big banks like HSBC, BNY, and State Street also have access.

Circle also created its own token this week called ARC, minting all 10 billion coins at once. (Minting means creating new digital tokens.) Importantly, Circle says this does not mean the token will be publicly sold — it's a technical step for future upgrades planned for 2027. Circle had already raised $222 million selling ARC tokens early, at a $3 billion valuation.

Arc is built for payments, trading, and "agentic" activity — meaning AI programs that can automatically handle money tasks like tiny payments. Circle says its earlier test version processed over 700 million transactions in under a year.

Bottom line: Arc is a serious attempt to bring traditional finance and crypto together, with some of the world's most powerful financial firms on board from day one. It signals growing acceptance of blockchain technology by major institutions.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://decrypt.co/378374/circle-launches-arc-mainnet-with-blackrock-dtcc-and-visa-as-validators