What is Arc?
Circle calls Arc an economic operating system for the internet. It is designed for stablecoin payments, tokenized funds, foreign-exchange settlement, onchain credit and agent-to-agent payments. EVM compatibility lets developers reuse familiar tools, but Arc is an independent Layer 1 with its own validators, blocks and asset records.
Why use USDC for gas?
On many chains, a user who wants to send a stablecoin must first obtain ETH, SOL or another volatile gas asset. That adds budgeting, accounting and onboarding friction. Arc uses USDC as the native fee currency so costs are easier to express in dollars and one asset can cover both payment and network fees.
| Feature | Arc | Typical native-token model |
|---|---|---|
| Gas asset | USDC | ETH, SOL, BNB or another native asset |
| Budgeting | Dollar-denominated | Exposed to gas-token price changes |
| Primary focus | Payments, settlement and tokenized finance | General-purpose applications |
Other important Arc design choices
- Deterministic finality: Circle advertises sub-second deterministic finality for payment and market workflows.
- EVM compatibility: familiar Solidity and Ethereum tooling, while applications still need Arc-specific testing.
- Institutional validators: a clearer institutional model, with a decentralization tradeoff that users should evaluate.
- Interoperability: Circle says CCTP and Gateway connect Arc with more than 20 chains.
- Financial assets: day-one themes include tokenized funds, local-currency stablecoins and programmable wrapped bitcoin.
Does mainnet mean an ARC token is official?
No. The official launch emphasizes the Arc network and USDC gas. A same-name token visible in a wallet or DEX is not official merely because Arc mainnet exists. Verify any issuer announcement and contract independently, and reject “presale” or “airdrop” pages that request unlimited approvals.
Official sources
Sources checked September 18, 2026. Network support and settings can change; verify official documentation before interacting.