Stablecoin issuer Circle has disclosed the founding validator lineup for its proprietary blockchain, Arc, with an official mainnet launch scheduled for September 16. The announcement, made alongside second-quarter earnings, names BlackRock, DTCC, Galaxy, Global Payments, ICE, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, and Visa as the initial validators, with Circle itself also playing a role. The permissioned Layer 1 network is designed to serve as a dedicated settlement layer for high-value institutional transactions, using USDC as its native gas token and offering sub-second finality and opt-in privacy.
Arc is EVM-compatible, enabling developers to deploy existing Ethereum-based smart contracts with minimal changes. The project first appeared in August 2025, with a public testnet in October, and has since attracted over 100 institutional builders during its private mainnet phase. Circle raised $222 million in an ARC token presale this May at a $3 billion fully diluted valuation, reportedly led by a16z crypto. Several validators are pursuing deeper integrations: BlackRock plans to deploy its BUIDL fund on Arc, DTCC is working toward tokenizing DTC-custodied assets on the network by the second half of 2027, and other partners are exploring use cases in settlement, custody, and FX infrastructure.
The launch comes as Circle reported Q2 revenue of $701 million (up 7% year-over-year) and USDC in circulation reaching $73.3 billion. Net income swung to a positive $48 million from a prior-year loss driven by IPO-related costs. Day-one applications on Arc will include DeFi protocols Aave, Morpho, and Uniswap, payment providers Rain, Thunes, and Wirex, and wallets such as Binance Wallet, Kraken, Ledger, and MetaMask. CRCL shares rose about 7% in pre-market trading following the news. While the network has not been reviewed by the New York State Department of Financial Services, Circle’s receipt of a federal trust bank charter underscores its regulatory momentum.
