Circle Launches Arc Mainnet for Institutional Finance

Circle has launched the mainnet for Arc, a Layer 1 blockchain designed for institutional financial markets, real-time settlements, and autonomous AI agent operations. The network utilizes USDC for gas fees, is EVM-compatible, and supports sub-second transaction finality. Validators include major institutions such as BlackRock, DTCC, ICE, Mastercard, Visa, SBI Group, and Standard Chartered. The platform integrates with Circle's existing infrastructure, including CCTP and StableFX, and supports over 100 initial applications and services.