Circle's Blockchain Network Arc Onboards 11 Institutions Including BlackRock and Visa
Claire Weston
Circle named 11 first-round operators for its new blockchain network Arc — including BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard and DTCC — with a public launch set for September 16. This means → stablecoin infrastructure is pushing from the crypto periphery into the core plumbing of mainstream finance.
What is Arc, and why are these institutions signing up?
Arc is a new blockchain network built by Circle with native support for its stablecoin USDC — a digital currency pegged 1:1 to the US dollar — positioned as the base layer for enterprises to build digital payment and financial applications.
The 11 inaugural operators include BlackRock, Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE's parent), Visa, Mastercard, and DTCC (the central clearing hub for US securities) — spanning nearly the full chain from exchanges to payment networks to settlement.
This means → this is not a "crypto-native" chain looking for users. Traditional financial giants are actively choosing to enter a stablecoin network — the signal matters more than the technology itself.
What exactly will BlackRock and DTCC do on Arc?
BlackRock will connect its tokenized money-market fund BUIDL to Arc, letting institutional investors buy, redeem and use fund assets directly on-chain. In plain terms = buying a money-market fund used to require a traditional brokerage channel; now it can work like sending stablecoins.
DTCC plans to bring tokenized versions of traditionally held assets onto Arc starting in the second half of 2027. This means → stocks and bonds could eventually settle in stablecoins, while the underlying assets remain connected to the traditional financial system.
Circle also announced integrations with BlackRock, BNY Mellon, DTCC and Standard Chartered, covering tokenized-asset settlement, digital-asset custody, stablecoin access, and FX and repo infrastructure.
How are the tokens split, and how much does Circle keep?
Arc has a total supply of 10 billion tokens: 60% goes to participants who build, use and contribute on the network; 25% is held by Circle; 15% goes into a long-term reserve.
Circle's 25% stake lets it run validator nodes — confirming transactions on the network — and earn fee income and staking rewards. In plain terms = Circle is both the rule-setter and a participant-beneficiary of the network it created.
CEO Jeremy Allaire said operator count will grow from an initial 10–12 to 20–40 over time, and token holders will eventually participate in governance through staking and voting.
What determines whether this actually works?
Allaire positioned Arc as "the operating system of the agentic economy" — with success measured by app development volume, user activity, and on-chain transaction volume and speed.
Arc is currently in a restricted-access phase with 100 selected partners; public launch is not until September 16. This means → the roster is impressive, but real ecosystem usage is zero — everything remains at the "partnership intent" stage.
The critical proof point over the next 12 months: whether Arc can convert institutional endorsement into real on-chain transaction volume — a marquee name list draws attention, but only throughput proves value.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.