Circle’s Arc blockchain to debut with institutional access via Fireblocks

Circle’s new layer 1 blockchain will debut with Fireblocks support as the stablecoin sector expands, with Circle and Tether vying for market dominance.

Circle’s new layer-1 blockchain Arc will integrate with Fireblocks, a New York–based digital asset custody and tokenization platform serving more than 2,400 banks, asset managers and fintechs. Arc is not yet live, but Circle plans to roll out a public testnet this fall ahead of a full launch by year-end.

Fireblocks said it prepares custody and compliance support so clients can transact on Arc once the network launches. Its platform supports over 120 blockchains and facilitates settlement for institutions across global markets.

The unusually early integration drew some criticism on X. Solana, for example, launched in 2020, but wasn’t added to Fireblocks until late 2021, after its ecosystem reached critical mass. Arc will instead debut with Fireblocks integration, giving banks and asset managers “day one” access.