Circle said Arc is on track for a Sept. 16 public mainnet launch, opening its production blockchain to users and applications while keeping block production inside a permissioned validator set.
In a separate post on X, Circle said Arc has recorded more than half a billion testnet transactions, nearly 3 million wallets, and more than 100 partners active on its private mainnet. The company added that an initial validator cohort is expected to help operate the network alongside Circle.
Public mainnet opens access to users and apps
Arc’s deployment documentation says the public mainnet will be open to all users and applications. Developers can deploy contracts and send transactions without approval, though validation remains restricted to known institutions. Transaction fees are denominated in USDC, and Arc is compatible with Ethereum’s application environment.
Open access, but validators stay permissioned
According to Circle’s launch announcement, Arc was launched by Arc Network Services LLC and is operated by a permissioned validator set.
The publicly named group includes Circle and 11 founding validators: BlackRock, The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, Galaxy, Global Payments, ICE, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, and Visa.
Arc uses permissioned proof-of-authority consensus. Its system documentation says a rotating validator proposes each block, and more than two-thirds of validators must agree before the block is committed.
Testnet figures show activity, not real-value performance
Arc’s public testnet explorer showed 671.5 million total transactions, backing Circle’s broader claim of more than half a billion.
Arc’s documentation also says the public testnet mirrors mainnet behavior without using real assets. That means the transaction and wallet totals show activity in a test setting, not how the network will perform once public users begin transacting with real value.
Circle’s X post described more than 100 partners as active on the private mainnet. Separately, its launch announcement said a range of day-one apps and services are expected to be live. Uniswap said it is 「ready on day one」.
If Arc launches on Sept. 16 as Circle says it is on track to do, the network would move from a test environment without real assets into public operation handling real value under a permissioned validator group.