Circle has officially launched its ARC blockchain, describing it as an economic operating system for the internet and signaling a major push into programmable payments and tokenization. The rollout was highlighted by BitGo CRO Chen Fang in a recent podcast, who discussed its implications for digital transactions.
The launch comes as Circle's USDC stablecoin reached a commanding position in the market. According to Q3 2026 data shared by CEO Jeremy Allaire, USDC processed 79% of total stablecoin transaction volume, up from 66% a year earlier. On-chain volume rose 49% year-on-year to $13.9 trillion, while combined minting and redemption activity hit a record $208 billion, averaging $2.3 billion per day. Average circulating supply reached $73.3 billion, an 18% increase from the prior year.
Circle's new ARC mainnet is central to the expansion. By October 30, 2026, it had attracted more than 100 institutional applications and held $1.5 billion in protocol assets. The company also introduced Circle Match to improve transaction efficiency and said agentic AI payments will operate on USDC within the ARC framework. The Circle Payment Network reached an annualized transaction volume of $41.3 billion, a 15-fold increase over late 2025, with recent activity pushing the annualized run rate above $58 billion. On platforms such as x402, USDC reportedly accounted for 99% of settlement selections, driven by automated machine-to-machine transfers.
Financial results reflected the infrastructure growth. Total revenue and reserve income climbed 17% year-on-year to $865 million, supported by $182 million from protocol token allocation. Circle expects upcoming legislation such as the GENIUS Act to provide clearer operational rules for licensed reserve issuers beginning in January, potentially accelerating digital dollar integration into mainstream commerce.
