Circle has launched the public testnet for Arc, its new Layer-1 blockchain described as an “economic operating system” for the internet. With participation from more than 100 major institutions and tech firms, Arc aims to bridge traditional finance and the onchain economy through enterprise-grade infrastructure and global interoperability.
Arc Testnet Opens With Global Industry Backing
Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL) has launched the public testnet for Arc, a new Layer-1 blockchain built to power the next generation of digital finance. Arc aims to give developers, enterprises, and financial institutions an open and programmable foundation for global onchain activity.
The testnet launch arrives with backing from more than 100 financial institutions, tech companies, and payment networks worldwide. Participants include Blackrock, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Visa, Mastercard, AWS, and Coinbase, among others, highlighting the project’s broad reach across traditional and digital finance.
Arc’s key features include sub-second transaction finality, predictable dollar-based fees, and configurable privacy, with direct integration into Circle’s existing platform. These capabilities support use cases spanning payments, capital markets, lending, and foreign exchange, while connecting local economies through onchain infrastructure.
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire described Arc as a channel to connect local markets to the global economy.
Arc presents the opportunity for every type of company to build on enterprise-grade network infrastructure, advancing a shared vision that a more open, inclusive, and efficient global economic system can be built natively on the internet.
While Circle currently oversees the network’s development, Arc is designed to evolve toward distributed governance, with validators, institutions, and developers collectively maintaining the system. The testnet marks the first major step in Circle’s effort to build shared, neutral infrastructure for the global economy.
Source:Lovinghananews.com
