Circle Launches Arc Mainnet: 10 Billion ARC Minted, Public Launch Not Yet Decided
Circle has launched the Arc mainnet with more than 100 applications, including Aave V4, Morpho, and Uniswap, and has minted 10 billion ARC tokens.
Circle publicly launched the Arc mainnet, where USDC is used for network fees, on September 16, 2026. According to a statement made to The Block, the network began working with more than 100 applications and over 100 institutional or ecosystem developers from day one.
On Arc, users pay transaction fees with USDC. Transactions on the network reach finality in less than a second; Arc also offers EVM compatibility. This allows existing smart contracts written in Solidity to run on Arc.
Applications and Institutions on Arc’s First Day
Aave’s V4 lending market, Morpho, and Uniswap are among the primary protocols included in the mainnet launch. It was stated that the testnet launched by Circle in October 2025 processed more than 700 million transactions in less than a year. This data reflects the previous testing process, not the mainnet performance.
A founding validator group of 11 institutions, including BlackRock, DTCC, ICE, Mastercard, and Visa, will join Arc progressively. While it was not stated that all institutions were actively validating on opening day, it was reported that ICE clients experienced fee and settlement issues in on-chain transactions.
Circle and DTCC are also working on the tokenization of assets held at DTC on Arc. The plan is expected to be implemented in the second half of 2027.
10 Billion ARC Minted but Not Yet Publicly Launched
Circle completed the genesis mint of 10 billion ARC tokens in the U.S. this week. However, the company clarified that this step does not mean the token will be released publicly. A decision regarding ARC’s public launch has not yet been made.
ARC is planned to be used as a coordination token for network security, use cases, and governance. For transaction fees, USDC will continue to be used. Circle is also considering a transition from the current authorized validation model to a proof of stake structure in 2027.
Circle’s payment network and StableFX service can also be used on Arc. The platform offers 24/7 foreign exchange transactions and settlement with stablecoins such as USDC, EURC, GBPA, JPYC, and KRW1. BlackRock’s BUIDL fund and Circle’s USYC product are also among the assets that can be used for trading, lending, and collateral transactions on Arc.