Circle executive Kris Gower proposes using the Arc blockchain and USDC stablecoin to address inefficiencies in securities lending and repo markets. The company aims to replace legacy financial systems that rely on banking-hour cutoffs and often suffer from settlement failures.
The Arc network, which launched its public mainnet on September 16, 2026, enables institutional users to post tokenized collateral against USDC. Circle reports that settlement on the platform occurs in under a second and operates on a 24/7 basis, allowing for continuous collateral mobility.
At its launch, Arc secured over 100 institutional partners, including a collaboration with the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) focused on securities tokenization. The network utilizes a native token, ARC, which has a total supply of 10 billion and is intended for future governance and proof-of-stake security.
As of late October 2026, the circulation of USDC reached approximately $74 billion. Circle is positioning Arc as a strategic infrastructure layer, aiming to provide both the settlement rails and the digital assets required for institutional liquidity management and short-term secured lending.
