according to the Circle official blog, Circle announced the launch of Arc, an open Layer-1 blockchain designed specifically for stablecoin financial scenarios. Arc uses USDC as its native Gas, supports low and predictable USD-denominated transaction fees, and has an institutional-grade forex engine built in to enable 24/7 automatic settlement between stablecoins. Arc utilizes the Malachite high-performance consensus mechanism, supports sub-second instant finality and optional privacy protection. The chain is EVM-compatible and targets applications such as cross-border payments, stablecoin derivatives, on-chain credit, and capital market settlement. It is expected to open for public testing in the fall of this year and go live on the mainnet in 2026.