Circle launches Arc blockchain with USDC fees and more than 100 apps

Circle has launched the Arc public mainnet, an open Layer 1 blockchain built for financial markets, payments and automated economic activity. Arc uses USDC for transaction fees and offers final settlement in under one second, according to Circle.

The network went live with more than 100 applications and more than 100 institutional and ecosystem builders. Circle says the founding validator group includes banks, asset managers, exchanges, payment networks and other financial infrastructure companies.

USDC, EURC and tokenized assets are integrated. Privacy features remain in development for a wider network release.