Circle Plans Major 2026 Expansion to Boost USDC and Stablecoin Adoption

TLDR

• Circle plans to focus on expanding USDC and stablecoin adoption throughout 2026.
• The company will transition its Arc blockchain from testnet to live operations for institutional use.
• Circle aims to make stablecoin payments easier for businesses by improving infrastructure and interoperability.
• The Arc blockchain processed 150 million transactions in its first 90 days, showing strong performance.
• Circle is working on increasing USDC’s utility across multiple blockchains to enhance cross-chain liquidity.

Circle has outlined a clear strategy for 2026, focusing on expanding the use of USDC and other stablecoins. The company aims to strengthen its infrastructure and bring its institutional-focused blockchain, Arc, out of testnet into live operations. With growing interest in stablecoins, Circle intends to provide businesses with easier access to stablecoin-based payments without the need to build their own systems from scratch.

Arc Blockchain to Power Stablecoin Infrastructure and Payments

Circle is set to enhance its blockchain network, Arc, which is designed for institutional use. In a recent blog post, Nikhil Chandhok, Circle’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, revealed that the company is transitioning Arc from a testnet to a fully operational layer-1 blockchain. The company’s goal is to make the network more accessible, allowing institutions to integrate stablecoin payments and settlements more seamlessly.

The first 90 days of Arc’s testnet proved promising, generating almost 1.5 million wallets and processing over 150 million transactions. These transactions were typically settled in under half a second, showcasing Arc’s potential for high-performance operations. Circle intends to scale its applications, including its payments network, to support wider adoption of stablecoins, particularly USDC, EURC, and USYC. The company believes this will reduce barriers for businesses, helping them adopt stablecoin payments more efficiently.

Circle Focuses on Expanding USDC Utility Across Multiple Chains

Circle plans to broaden the utility of USDC, aiming to integrate the stablecoin across more blockchains. The company is focusing on improving USDC’s interoperability and making it more seamless across various networks. According to Circle, this effort will simplify stablecoin transactions for businesses, especially those looking to handle cross-chain liquidity.

The company has also launched Circle Gateway, a solution that allows chain-agnostic USDC balances for apps. This platform enables instant cross-chain liquidity without adding complexity. Furthermore, Circle has integrated its innovations, including Arc, CCTP, and x402, to facilitate micropayments and machine-to-machine transactions, targeting a wide range of markets and use cases.

Circle’s emphasis on expanding USDC’s presence and accessibility reflects the firm’s broader strategy to make stablecoin payments more efficient. The company’s CCTP system has already supported USDC across 30 networks by the end of 2025, processing $126 billion in transactions. Moving forward, Circle plans to enhance CCTP’s role as a critical interoperability layer to ensure businesses and users can access liquidity with predictability and safety.

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