Circle’s Proposed Arc Blockchain to Use USDC as Native Gas

According to a report by Jinse Finance, Circle has announced the launch of Arc, an open Layer-1 blockchain specifically designed for stablecoin financial scenarios, via its official blog. Arc uses USDC as its native gas, supports low and predictable USD-denominated transaction fees, and features a built-in institutional-grade foreign exchange engine to enable 24/7 automatic settlement between stablecoins. Arc adopts the high-performance Malachite consensus mechanism, offering sub-second instant finality and optional privacy protection. The chain is EVM-compatible and targets applications such as cross-border payments, stablecoin derivatives, on-chain credit, and capital market settlements. Public beta testing is expected to open this fall, with the mainnet launch scheduled for 2026.