Circle, the issuer of the stablecoin $USDC, published its financial results for Q2 2026 and simultaneously announced the public launch of the Arc network on September 16.
Global financial companies including BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, ICE, DTCC, Standard Chartered, Galaxy, and others will join as part of the network's initial set of validators.
The company also reported that the circulating supply of $USDC reached $73.3 billion at the end of the quarter, while the on-chain transaction volume for the quarter grew 151% year-over-year to $14.8 trillion.
Circle's financial performance was also positive:
- Total revenue and reserve interest income amounted to $701 million (a 7% year-over-year increase);
- Net income reached $48 million.
Arc Mainnet Launch Begins September 16
The most significant announcement was the launch of the Arc mainnet—Circle's blockchain network for institutional and programmable finance.
The company noted that over 100 institutional and ecosystem developers are already active within the Arc ecosystem.
The initial set of validators will include BlackRock, DTCC, Galaxy, Global Payments, ICE, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, and Visa.
Circle describes this as a new model of blockchain infrastructure where the network is secured precisely by the financial institutions that plan to use it.
Furthermore:
- BlackRock plans to deploy the BUIDL fund on the Arc network;
- DTCC is working on tokenizing assets held at the Depository Trust Company;
- BNY and Standard Chartered are testing integrations for custodial services, stablecoin access, and settlements with tokenized assets.
Circle Strengthens Its Position in the US Banking System
The company also confirmed it received final approval from the OCC to establish the Circle National Trust. This grants Circle the authority for federally regulated digital asset custody and opens the possibility for the company to eventually manage $USDC reserves independently in the future.
Simultaneously, the company received approval from the New York State Department of Financial Services to establish a separate trust structure, the Circle New York Trust.
The company also reported that its Circle Payments Network reached an annualized transaction volume of $14.7 billion, representing a 76% quarter-over-quarter increase. The network has already onboarded 175 financial institutions.
$USDC Gains Adoption, and Circle Bets on AI Agents
According to Visa Onchain Analytics, in June 2026, $USDC accounted for nearly 70% of the transaction volume among stablecoins.
At the same time, $USDC's market share among all stablecoins stood at 27% at the end of the quarter, while the number of "significant" wallets grew to 7 million.
Among new partnerships, Circle highlighted:
- Integration of $USDC into the BNY Digital Asset Custody platform;
- Launch of $USDC access for institutions in Argentina via Grupo Bind;
- Collaboration with JCB for international payments in Japan;
- Exploring the integration of $USDC into the payment infrastructure of Kakao Group in South Korea;
- The use of $USDC as collateral for regulated derivatives via Marex;
- Integration with the global payout network Nium across more than 190 countries.
The company placed a special emphasis on developing the "agent economy."
Following the launch of the Circle Agent Stack in May 2026, over 900 paid services are already available on the system, and 99.3% of payments via the x402 protocol are processed in $USDC.
Circle's co-founder and CEO, Jeremy Allaire, noted:
"Our quarterly results reflect the current interest rate environment and a crypto market that has slowed down. But short-term activity tells a different story. [...] We have built a platform for an internet financial system—for traditional and digital finance, tokenized real-world assets, and the institutions that move global capital. This trust was earned over years, not given."
Circle also raised its 2026 revenue forecast for services and infrastructure—from $150-$170 million to $310-$330 million—reflecting the company's bet on new products, institutional integrations, and infrastructure for AI agents.
It's worth recalling that Circle earlier announced the acquisition of nearly 1,000 IBM patents in the fields of blockchain, fintech, and digital infrastructure.
