Circle Unveils Arc, A Payments-Focused Blockchain Backed by Global Giants

Circle, the company behind the USD Coin (USDC), has launched the public testnet of its new blockchain, Arc, marking a major step in its plan to bring traditional finance onchain.

The testnet, which went live with over 100 global partners, includes heavyweights such as BlackRock, Visa, HSBC, AWS, Anthropic, and Goldman Sachs.

Arc is designed to become what Circle calls “the economic operating system of the internet.” The new blockchain aims to merge the reliability of traditional finance with the speed and transparency of digital assets.

Arc Public Testnet is live.

It’s Day 1 and a robust, interconnected ecosystem is already taking shape.

Over 100+ testnet participants spanning DeFi, asset issuers, capital markets firms, global fintechs, and more are exploring use cases and building on Arc.

Join us. Architect… pic.twitter.com/jGSqlzl3J7

— Arc (@arc) October 28, 2025

Arc is not just another blockchain. Circle built it as a Layer 1 chain focused entirely on financial use cases, from tokenized funds and cross-border payments to foreign exchange (FX) settlements.

Unlike blockchains that rely on volatile native tokens, Arc uses USDC as its gas token. That means every transaction fee is denominated in U.S. dollars, keeping costs predictable for enterprises and developers.

Circle says transaction times are under one second, offering near-instant settlement, a critical feature for institutions managing large financial flows.

Arc’s design is all about enterprise-grade infrastructure. It supports everything from global payments and capital markets to lending and foreign exchange.

According to Circle, the network allows businesses to conduct onchain transactions with fixed USD-based fees, eliminating the uncertainty of fluctuating gas prices seen on Ethereum and other blockchains.

It also introduces optional privacy controls, giving regulated entities a way to transact securely without exposing sensitive financial data on the public ledger.

Circle’s vision for Arc is already drawing broad institutional interest. Partners include:

•  Apollo, BlackRock, and BNY Mellon from the asset management space
•  Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Standard Chartered, and Goldman Sachs from global banking
•  AWS, Visa, Mastercard, Cloudflare, and Vodafone from the tech and payments sectors

In total, more than 100 organizations are collaborating on the testnet phase. This early backing signals that Arc is positioning itself as the default infrastructure layer for real-world finance.

Beyond USDC, Arc will enable the issuance of local currency stablecoins, allowing countries and companies to tokenize their own fiat currencies.

Participants in this initiative include JPYC, SBI Holdings, Forte, and Coins.ph, each working to build regional stablecoin ecosystems on Arc.

Circle believes this multi-currency framework will pave the way for seamless cross-border settlements and foreign exchange operations between stablecoins, all within Arc’s sub-second, low-cost environment.

The project’s ecosystem already has strong backing from major crypto platforms. Coinbase, Kraken, Robinhood, and Galaxy Digital are among the exchanges supporting Arc.

On the infrastructure side, integrations with Alchemy, Chainlink, LayerZero, and MetaMask ensure developers can build directly on Arc without needing to reinvent existing tools.

This combination of institutional and developer participation sets Arc apart from most new blockchains, which often struggle to attract both audiences simultaneously.

While the network is currently managed by Circle, the company has confirmed that Arc will gradually transition to community governance.

In its testnet announcement, Circle said it plans to open validator participation over time, allowing independent organizations to secure and govern the network.

This phased approach mirrors Circle’s broader philosophy: start with reliability and compliance, then evolve toward decentralization as adoption grows.

Circle ra mắt testnet công khai cho blockchain Arc – “Hệ điều hành kinh tế của Internet”.