Circle Internet Group’s stock surged sharply after the company announced a major funding milestone for its new blockchain initiative, Arc. The US-based USDC issuer saw its shares climb around 15% as investors reacted to the $222 million presale that positions Circle deeper into institutional blockchain infrastructure.
The round attracted heavyweight backers including BlackRock, Andreessen Horowitz, and several global financial institutions, reinforcing growing Wall Street interest in regulated crypto infrastructure.
Circle confirmed that the $222 million presale for Arc was led by Andreessen Horowitz with a $75 million commitment, alongside participation from BlackRock, Apollo Funds, Intercontinental Exchange, SBI Group, Janus Henderson, Standard Chartered Ventures, General Catalyst, Haun Ventures, Bullish, and others. The fundraising values Arc at a fully diluted $3 billion, marking one of the largest institutional blockchain bets tied to a stablecoin issuer.
The strong investor lineup signals increasing convergence between traditional finance and blockchain-native infrastructure. While BlackRock’s participation does not necessarily imply immediate usage of Arc, its presence has been widely interpreted as a validation of Circle’s long-term strategy in institutional digital settlement systems.
Arc is being positioned as a Layer-1 blockchain tailored specifically for institutional stablecoin payments and tokenized assets. Circle has argued that many existing blockchains were not originally designed for predictable financial settlement, particularly in enterprise environments where volatility in transaction fees can disrupt treasury operations.
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Circle has raised $222 million in a presale for new institutional blockchain Arc’s native token at a $3 billion fully diluted valuation. pic.twitter.com/Yt2PWdI8zN
— CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) May 11, 2026
To address this, Arc uses USDC for network fees and introduces a fee-smoothing mechanism intended to stabilize transaction costs even during periods of congestion. The network also targets sub-second deterministic finality, meaning transactions are confirmed and irreversible in less than a second, an important feature for institutional settlement use cases.
In addition, Arc is EVM-compatible, allowing developers to deploy Ethereum-based applications without major modifications. It also includes opt-in privacy features designed to balance confidentiality with regulatory transparency, a key requirement for financial institutions.
Circle has also outlined a detailed distribution model for Arc’s token ecosystem. Of the initial 10 billion ARC token supply, approximately 25% will be held by Circle itself. Around 60% is earmarked for users and developers to encourage ecosystem growth, while the remaining 15% will be reserved.
The company describes ARC as a coordination asset for governance, security, and network operations. Arc is expected to transition toward a proof-of-stake model, where validators secure the network by staking tokens and earn rewards through transaction fees and staking incentives.
This structure positions Circle not just as a stablecoin issuer but as a broader infrastructure provider, potentially generating new revenue streams beyond USDC issuance, including validator operations and ecosystem participation.
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