Summary
Circle officially launched the Arc mainnet, positioned as an institutional-grade Layer 1 it calls the internet's "economic operating system." Arc uses USDC as its native gas token and offers sub-second deterministic finality, EVM compatibility, and interoperability with more than 25 chains via CCTP…
Key points
- This is the first time a stablecoin issuer directly operates a settlement layer and ties in top-tier financial institutions, changing the competitive landscape as USDC moves from an issuance tool to settlement infrastructure.
- Arc builds US regulatory and banking license advantages directly into an on-chain settlement product, potentially reshaping how institutions enter stablecoin payments and tokenized assets.
- Developers can deploy on Arc using existing Solidity tooling, while payment and financial firms gain a compliant settlement option denominated in USDC with institutional validators.
- Arc's launch follows closely after the US Senate failed to advance the CLARITY market structure bill, creating a private-sector alternative path amid a legislative vacuum.
Editorial note
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