Arc

Update (September 17, 2026): The Arc testnet has officially closed, and Arc is now live on mainnet. This testnet guide is no longer active. To keep earning toward the ARC airdrop, follow our new Arc mainnet airdrop guide

Circle, the company behind $USDC, has taken a bold step into blockchain infrastructure with the launch of Arc Network, an open Layer-1 purpose-built for stablecoin finance. With its private testnet opening soon and a public testnet expected in Fall 2025, Arc signals a new era where payments, FX, and capital markets gain the reliability and speed of programmable finance.

What makes Arc extraordinary is its design philosophy—USDC as native gas, deterministic sub-second finality, and opt-in privacy. Arc isn’t trying to be everything for everyone; it’s crafted to be the most reliable settlement layer for institutions and enterprises 🌍💵

At this stage, no official airdrops or incentive campaigns have been announced. However, Arc integrates Circle’s broader suite—including USYC, a yield-bearing digital asset. Each USYC token represents a share of the Hashnote International Short Duration Fund Ltd., a Cayman Islands mutual fund, with Circle International Bermuda Limited acting as token administrator.

USYC is only available to non-U.S. Persons under the Securities Act of 1933, with additional eligibility restrictions in place. While there is no confirmation of any distribution involving USYC, its structure by design as a tokenized fund share carries the possibility of a future airdrop.

About Arc Network

Arc is architected as an EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain optimized for institutional-grade stablecoin activity. At its core lies the Malachite consensus engine, developed by Informal Systems, which delivers deterministic settlement in under a second. This speed and certainty are designed for high-value use cases such as tokenized securities, collateralized settlements, and real-time FX transactions, where reliability is non-negotiable.

Strategically, Arc extends Circle’s financial infrastructure into a programmable environment that can host regulated assets at scale. It integrates with services like CCTP for cross-chain transfers, Gateway for programmable payment flows, Paymaster for transaction sponsorship, and Mint for issuance and redemption of tokens.

Together, these systems provide a foundation where capital markets, credit structures, and cross-border payments can be executed with predictable costs and regulatory alignment.

As outlined in the official Circle announcement, Arc will move forward in phases: private testnet access, a public testnet in Fall 2025, and a Mainnet Beta in 2026.