Completed the 10 billion ARC genesis mint, Circle has not yet committed to a public offering

Odaily reports: Circle launched the Arc public chain's public mainnet on September 16, 2026. The first batch of 11 founding validators includes BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, and the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation. Arc uses USDC as its native gas token and supports sub-second finality and optional privacy features, targeting stablecoin payments, real-world assets, and tokenized markets; BlackRock plans to deploy the BUIDL fund to Arc to support on-chain subscriptions and redemptions. Circle stated that the entire initial supply was minted in the United States this week, but this is only a technical milestone and does not represent a commitment to a public offering; the company is exploring a transition of its consensus mechanism from Proof of Authority to Proof of Stake in 2027.