docs / arc network / what-is-arc
What Arc is
Circle's Layer-1, in the terms Circle uses.
Overview
Arc is an open Layer-1 blockchain built by Circle for stablecoin finance. Its public mainnet launched on September 16, 2026. It is fully EVM-compatible: Solidity contracts and standard Ethereum tooling work unchanged.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Consensus | Malachite (Tendermint BFT) |
| Execution | Reth |
| Finality | deterministic, under one second |
| Benchmark | <350 ms at 3,000+ TPS with 20 validators |
| Block time | 0.5 s |
| Validator set | Proof-of-Authority; regulated institutions |
| Gas token | USDC |
| Privacy | opt-in confidential transactions and balances with view keys (in development) |
Founding validators named at launch: BlackRock, DTCC, Galaxy, ICE, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, Visa, Worldpay.
Sources: docs.arc.io/arc/concepts/system-overview and www.circle.com/pressroom/circle-launches-arc-mainnet-an-economic-operating-system-for-the-internet.
Why it matters here
Deterministic finality means a swap is final in under a second; there is no reorg to hope for. USDC gas means the fee for buying a frog is a fraction of a cent, in dollars, with no volatile gas token to hold. Both are real engineering choices made for payments. Both make the joke land harder.