Circle's Arc blockchain goes live with USDC as gas token

Circle launched its Layer 1 blockchain Arc on 16 September, using USDC as the gas token, with 13 exchanges including Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, KuCoin, OKX, Bybit and Upbit enabling direct USDC transfers on day one. Founding validators include BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, DTCC, ICE and Standard Chartered.

• 13 exchanges and 10 wallets connected to Arc on day one
• Validators include BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, DTCC, ICE and Standard Chartered
• Blocks every ~0.5s, finality under 350ms, 20 validators
• Move from proof of authority to proof of stake planned for 2027