Circle Launches Arc: BlackRock and Visa Among Validators

Circle launched the public Arc mainnet, and among the validators are already BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, and several other major companies. This matters for institutional traders, stablecoin issuers, and teams building payment services.

The launch came after Circle previously named September 16, 2026 as the start date. The company also carried out a genesis mint of 10 billion ARC, but separately stressed that this is only a technical step, not a public token launch.

Why is Arc betting specifically on financial markets?

Arc was built not as another general-purpose blockchain. Its goal is simpler and more specific: payments, tokenized assets, and operations involving AI agents.

The network is EVM-compatible. Fees are paid in USDC, and according to Circle, transaction finality takes less than a second. That is a short cycle. For financial operations, it is critical.

Another important detail is that Arc is immediately tied to the large traditional financial sector. And that is no accident. Circle is building the network so that banks, payment companies, and asset managers do not feel like they are on чужой territory.

Who has already joined the Arc network?

In the initial validator pool, Circle named BlackRock, DTCC, Galaxy, Global Payments, Intercontinental Exchange, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, and Visa. Connections will be added in stages.

At the same time, Aave, Morpho, and Uniswap are already available in the ecosystem. In a statement to The Block, Circle said there are more than 100 applications and more than 100 institutional and ecosystem participants. For a new mainnet, that is a strong start.

Circle is also developing StableFX and Circle Payments Network. The company separately emphasized that Arc is designed for infrastructure for transfers costing fractions of a cent.

Against this backdrop, it is also important that Arc is not limited to USDC alone. Circle is already talking about 20+ active or onboarding pairs for StableFX. Among them are AUDD, BRLA, CADD, JPYC, KRW1, MXNB, QCAD, TRYB, wBRL, wMXN, and ZARU.

Market reaction

The market reacted cautiously. Circle Internet Group shares were trading at $81.70 as of September 16, 2026, 16:45 UTC, and were down 5.33% on the day. The company’s market capitalization stood at about $21.95 billion.

At the same time, it is clear that the USDC base itself is already large. As of September 16, 2026, there were 73.699 billion USDC in circulation, and 24-hour trading volume reached $20.0 billion. USDC is available in 185+ countries and operates on 30+ blockchains. This explains why this particular Circle stablecoin became the reserve currency for Arc.

The first on-chain metrics also look lively. Arcscan showed 169,587 transactions in 1 hour, an average speed of 34.81 TPS, an average block time of 506 ms, and $7,311.99 in fees per hour. These figures do not yet make the network mature. But they do show that the launch is not empty.

• Arc was launched as a public mainnet.

• BlackRock, Visa, and Mastercard are among the validators.

• The genesis mint totaled 10 billion ARC.

• USDC is used to pay fees.

• Circle said there are more than 100 applications.

• Arc is focused on payments and asset tokenization.

What does the Arc launch mean for investors?

For investors, the key point here is not the launch itself, but who Circle managed to bring around the network. When the list includes BlackRock, DTCC, Mastercard, and Visa, this is no longer a story about a niche crypto project. It is an attempt to embed blockchain into the familiar infrastructure of big money.

There is a second important point as well. Circle has not yet made a decision on a public launch of ARC as a token. In other words, the network is already live, but the token side is still unresolved. For the market, this means that new decisions may still lie ahead regarding the governance model, incentives, and the transition from Proof-of-Authority to Proof-of-Stake in 2027.

An additional detail for Ukrainian readers following stablecoins: Arc could become another arena where USDC moves large settlements faster than traditional networks. If such a model takes hold, demand for fast exchange between stablecoins and fiat money will only grow. In such scenarios, a convenient sell USDT TRC20 for hryvnia to a card can become a practical step for those who work with the market every day.

Frequently asked questions

What is Arc from Circle?

It is Circle’s public L1 blockchain, focused on financial markets, payments, and tokenized assets. The network is EVM-compatible, and fees are paid via USDC.

Has the ARC token been launched for everyone yet?

No. Circle carried out a genesis mint of 10 billion ARC, but explicitly said this is a technical stage. The question of a public token launch has not yet been decided.

Why is the participation of BlackRock, Visa, and Mastercard important?

Because it signals to the market that Arc is aimed not only at crypto users. Circle wants the network to work for large businesses, payments, and asset tokenization.

Arc launched with a bang, but the main test still lies ahead. If integrations with Aave, Uniswap, StableFX, and major validators really work at full scale, the network could quickly become a noticeable part of the institutional crypto market.

This material is not financial advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks. Part of this text was prepared with the help of artificial intelligence based on public sources and reviewed by our editorial team.