Circle is moving beyond stablecoins. The company announced the launch of Arc, a new blockchain venture, and it's aiming for a $3 billion valuation. The token presale alone has already pulled in $222 million — a hefty sum for a project that hasn't gone live yet.
The Arc blockchain
Arc is positioned as a layer-1 network built specifically for regulated digital assets. Circle, best known for the USDC stablecoin, is betting it can carve out a niche in the increasingly crowded blockchain infrastructure space. The presale numbers suggest institutional appetite is there, though details on the network's technical specs remain sparse.
Valuation target
A $3 billion valuation target is ambitious for a pre-launch chain. It puts Arc in the same league as some established layer-1 projects, but Circle is leaning on its track record with USDC and its regulatory compliance to justify the number. The company hasn't said who led the presale or how much equity was sold alongside the tokens.
What comes next
Circle hasn't set a mainnet date yet. The company is expected to release more detailed technical documentation in the coming weeks, though no timeline has been confirmed. For now, the $222 million presale gives Arc a long runway — but the real test will come when the network actually opens to users.
