Circle Internet Group has acquired a chunk of IBM's blockchain patent portfolio, picking up over 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide. The deal, whose financial terms weren't disclosed, makes Circle the largest holder of blockchain patents in the United States, according to the company.
What the patents cover
The acquired patents span core blockchain technology, banking, financial services, insurance, enterprise infrastructure, supply chain verification, and secure cloud operations. Circle says the portfolio will support its existing products — USDC, Circle Payments Network, Arc — as well as its on-chain products and agentic financial tools. The company also plans to pursue further business opportunities with IBM.
Patent defense and a first patent
Circle joined the LOT Network over three years ago to protect against patent lawsuits from Patent Assertion Entities. That same year, it secured its first patent for Parallel Block Processing. The IBM acquisition dramatically expands its portfolio, giving it a broad defensive and offensive position in blockchain intellectual property.
Other recent moves
Circle received approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to roll out First National Digital Currency Bank, N.A., operating as Circle National Trust. The OCC charter allows Circle to provide fiduciary crypto custody services and is expected to eventually manage USDC reserves under OCC supervision. Separately, BNY Mellon expanded its partnership with Circle by adding USDC to its Digital Asset Custody platform. Institutional clients can now store, transfer, mint, and redeem the stablecoin through BNY Mellon, which strengthens its role as the primary custodian of USDC reserves.
Circle also joined the Linux Foundation's x402 Foundation as a premier member, alongside Ripple, Coinbase, and Solana Foundation. The foundation aims to develop an open standard for internet-native payments that lets AI agents, APIs, and applications transact over HTTP.
