Arc (Circle L1) blockchain
Overview
Arc is Circle's own open layer-1 blockchain, operated by Circle Technology Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Circle Internet Group, Inc., and described as purpose-built to unite programmable money and onchain innovation with real-world economic activity. Its defining design choice is stablecoin-native gas: transaction fees are paid in USDC rather than a volatile native token, which removes the requirement for a business to hold a speculative asset just to transact. It targets deterministic sub-second finality, so settlement is immediate rather than probabilistic, and offers opt-in configurable privacy so institutions can meet confidentiality needs without abandoning a public chain. Arc is directly integrated with Circle's wider platform, including USDC itself, Circle's payment infrastructure and its developer tooling. Target use cases are institutional and payments-oriented: lending, capital markets settlement, stablecoin foreign exchange, cross-border payments and AI-driven autonomous economic activity. As of the cited period Arc was running on public testnet with over 15 million weekly transactions, ahead of a mainnet launch. Arc was launched by Circle as a public testnet, reporting more than 15 million weekly transactions during that phase, with mainnet still ahead as of the material reviewed.
Within the DeFi Intel graph, Arc (Circle L1) connects to 26 tracked entities, most strongly to Circle, BlackRock, HSBC.
Relations
Top connections in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph (confidence-weighted, 10 of 26 total).
| Relation | Connected entity | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
launched | Circle | 95% |
designed_with | BlackRock | 90% |
designed_with | HSBC | 90% |
integrates | Visa | 90% |
designed_with | Visa | 90% |
designed_with | Standard Chartered | 90% |
designed_with | Goldman Sachs | 90% |
designed_with | Deutsche Bank | 90% |
designed_with | State Street | 90% |
designed_with | Invesco | 90% |
Frequently asked questions
What is Arc (Circle L1)?
Arc (Circle L1) is a stablecoin-l1 tracked in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph. It is connected to 26 other tracked entities, most strongly to Circle, BlackRock, HSBC.
What type of entity is Arc (Circle L1)?
Arc (Circle L1) is classified as a stablecoin-l1 (blockchain) in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph.
What is Arc (Circle L1) connected to?
In the DeFi Intel knowledge graph, Arc (Circle L1) is linked to 26 other tracked entities, most strongly to Circle, BlackRock, HSBC.
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