Circle Pushes Beyond Stablecoins With $222m Arc Token Raise in Bid to Build Blockchain Infrastructure Giant

Circle raised $222 million in a presale for Arc tokens, valuing the new blockchain network at $3 billion.

Arc is positioned as an institutional blockchain that could expand Circle beyond USDC into payments, contracts, governance, and infrastructure.

The round drew major backers from finance and crypto, including BlackRock, Apollo, ICE, SBI, and Andreessen Horowitz.

The move signals Circle’s intent to control more of the blockchain stack behind stablecoin settlement and enterprise services.