Circle has launched Arc Mainnet, a new Layer 1 blockchain designed as an "economic OS" to bridge traditional financial institutions with decentralized innovation. Nikhil Chandhok, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Circle, explains that Arc prioritizes institutional-grade infrastructure by utilizing a permissioned validator set, sub-second payment finality, and gas fees payable in stablecoins like USDC. The protocol emphasizes privacy through Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and aims to serve as a hub for agentic commerce, where autonomous agents act as independent economic participants capable of verifiable history and secure value exchange. By focusing on high-fidelity tokenized assets and seamless liquidity across global fiat currencies, Arc seeks to enable 24/7 capital formation and complex financial services without the need for traditional intermediaries, positioning itself as a foundational layer for the next generation of internet-native economic activity.
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