Arc (@arc) is a stablecoin-native Layer-1 blockchain developed by Circle (the issuer of USDC). It is positioned as the “Economic OS for the Internet.”

Core Positioning
Designed specifically for real-world financial and economic activities, Arc provides shared infrastructure for stablecoins, tokenized assets, economic contracts, and on-chain markets. It targets high-impact use cases such as payments, FX, lending, prediction markets, asset tokenization, cross-border transfers, and AI agent economies.

Key Features
– Stablecoin-native: Uses USDC as gas fee (predictable USD-denominated costs, eliminating native token volatility).
– High Performance: Powered by the Malachite consensus mechanism, delivering sub-second finality.
– Privacy & Compliance: Optional (opt-in) privacy features, built with institutional and regulatory needs in mind.
– Deep Circle Integration: Native support for Circle’s CCTP, Gateway, and other tools for seamless multi-chain interoperability and liquidity.
– EVM Compatible: Easy deployment of existing smart contracts for developers.

Current Status
– Currently live on public testnet (handling significant transaction volume).
– Mainnet Beta planned for summer 2026.

ARC Token
ARC is the network’s native coordination asset (not yet launched). It will be used for:
– Validator staking
– Economic governance
– Platform fee mechanisms
– Long-term incentives for users, builders, and institutions