Circle to Launch Arc Mainnet With BlackRock, Visa and ICE as Validators

Circle ($CRCL) is set to bring its open blockchain network ‘Arc’ to a public mainnet on Sept. 16, a move the company is positioning as infrastructure built for global financial markets and ‘institutional-grade’ participation.

Arc has so far operated as a private mainnet, with Circle saying more than 100 institutions and ecosystem participants have already joined. The public launch is expected to broaden access while keeping the network anchored by a group of ‘genesis validators’—entities tasked with securing the chain and participating in governance—from across asset management, market infrastructure, payments, remittances, and banking.

Circle said the initial validator set includes BlackRock, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), Galaxy, Global Payments, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, and Visa. The lineup stands out for its mix of traditional finance incumbents and crypto-native firms, suggesting Arc is designed to appeal to both regulated financial institutions and digital asset market makers.

BlackRock is expected to deploy its tokenized liquidity product, the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), on Arc—another signal that tokenized cash-like instruments are becoming a centerpiece of onchain capital markets. Tokenized funds such as BUIDL are often viewed as a bridge between traditional short-duration liquidity products and blockchain-based settlement, with potential implications for intraday ‘liquidity management’ and collateral mobility.

Regulatory alignment is also moving in parallel. The U.S. and the U.K. said they will expand cooperation on digital asset oversight spanning stablecoin regulation and tokenization, according to a joint statement released on Monday Eastern Time by the two countries’ finance ministries.

The statement summarized discussions from the 13th meeting of the U.S.-U.K. Financial Regulatory Working Group (FRWG), held on July 8 in London. The meeting was co-chaired by the U.S. Treasury and the U.K. Treasury, with participation from the Bank of England, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Federal Reserve, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

U.S. officials provided updates on implementation of the GENIUS Act—legislation focused on stablecoins—as well as ongoing work on a digital asset market structure framework. Discussions also covered tokenization-related regulatory priorities, the U.K.’s digital strategy for wholesale financial markets, and the G20 cross-border payments roadmap. The statement did not include binding rules or enforcement timelines, underscoring that coordination remains largely consultative for now.

The announcement follows a prior joint stablecoin statement released on July 14 through the Transatlantic Taskforce for the Markets of the Future, which emphasized that stablecoins circulating like money should be backed at least 1:1 by high-quality liquid assets, with segregation of reserves and timely redemption standards. The two governments also reiterated a policy principle often described as ‘same risk, same regulatory outcome,’ while allowing implementation to differ by domestic legal systems.

Elsewhere, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has signed a new cryptocurrency regulation bill into law, according to Crypto Briefing. Details on the effective date were not confirmed, though the outlet said the measure could influence cross-border crypto transactions and interact with emerging international regulatory standards—an area closely watched as jurisdictions attempt to balance capital controls, sanctions risk, and innovation policy.

On the market data front, CryptoQuant said large holders of Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and XRP (XRP) are showing accumulation behavior consistent with late-stage bear market dynamics. CryptoQuant research head Julio Moreno said top cohorts have been increasing holdings as prices approach—or fall below—realized price levels, a sign historically associated with reduced downside pressure, even if not a definitive market bottom.

CryptoQuant data cited by local reports showed that Bitcoin whale balances—excluding exchanges and mining pools—rebounded to roughly 3.06 million BTC from a low near 2.87 million BTC in December 2025. The figures do not include holdings attributed to ETFs or digital asset treasury companies, which have become increasingly important sources of structural demand.

Institutional engagement in Ethereum’s yield layer also drew attention. Reports citing Onchain Lens said an Ethereum ETF under Purpose Investments staked 42,000 ETH into the Ethereum beacon deposit contract over a three-hour window, valued at roughly $80 million. The staked amount represents about 36.6% of the fund’s total ETH holdings, reported at 114,900 ETH, highlighting how ‘staking-enabled’ products may influence circulating supply dynamics and custody workflows.

In Solana (SOL) governance, a proposal to increase the network’s token burn by 14x passed an initial vote, according to AMBCrypto. The measure still requires one more procedural step to be finalized, with timing not disclosed. If implemented, a materially higher burn rate could strengthen the chain’s supply-reduction narrative, though market impact would depend on sustained transaction activity and broader risk sentiment.

Uniswap also moved deeper into token distribution infrastructure with the official launch of its launchpad service ‘Pools.’ Data platform arbdata indicated that more than 12,000 new tokens had already been distributed via Pools as of Tuesday Eastern Time, with cumulative distributions later surpassing 13,000. Uniswap founder Hayden Adams said the product recorded $150 million in volume prior to its formal launch, reflecting strong early experimentation—alongside renewed debate about token quality and discovery mechanisms in permissionless markets.

Meanwhile, blockchain watchers flagged a notable Bitcoin transfer pattern: four newly created wallets received a combined 1,540 BTC—worth about $99.4 million—over roughly three hours from Galaxy and institutional custodian BitGo. The recipient identity and purpose of the transfers were not known, though the use of fresh addresses and the split into four tranches suggested deliberate operational structuring.

In equities tied to the stablecoin sector, ARK Invest increased exposure to Circle ($CRCL), purchasing about $17.29 million worth of shares on Tuesday Eastern Time, according to reports citing trade disclosures. The move comes as Circle seeks to expand USDC’s footprint while also promoting Arc as a potential settlement and tokenization rail for regulated financial activity.

In Asia, South Korea’s Upbit said it will support spot trading for CAP (CAP), though the exchange had not published details on the trading pairs or the precise start time at the time of reporting.

Taken together, the day’s developments underscored how the crypto market is increasingly shaped by the intersection of ‘institutional adoption,’ government-led regulatory coordination, and evolving onchain capital market structure—from tokenized funds and staking to supply governance and exchange-led listings.