What is Arc by Circle?

The company behind USDC stablecoin, Circle has launched Arc, an open Layer-1 blockchain designed to provide enterprise-grade infrastructure for stablecoin payments, foreign exchange, and capital markets applications. The network is EVM-compatible and uses USDC as its native gas token. Arc is expected to launch its public testnet later this fall.

Using USDC as gas is a clever move clear utility from day one. The challenge will be adoption; tech specs are great, but real-world volume decides if Arc becomes a main road or just another side street in blockchain history.

Arc is a going to be a private blockchain, similar to what countries are using to roll out their own virtual currencies. But then I wonder how are these private chains any different from old school bank network?

No confirmed EVM compatibility or USDC gas integration has hit newswires, which keeps the thesis speculative—yet ARC’s modular design means stablecoin gas is likely on their radar. It will be interesting to see how this fares out because if it works as intended, it will be a huge breakthrough in the stablecoin and cryptocurrency market.