Circle’s Arc Blockchain Testnet Goes Live: Over 100 Partners Including Mastercard, Coinbase on Board

USDC stablecoin issuer Circle has rolled out the public testnet for its payments-focused blockchain network. The company said on Tuesday that more than 100 institutions, including Visa, HSBC, BlackRock, and AI firm Anthropic, are already participating in the testing phase. The testnet will allow developers, financial institutions, and enterprises to deploy, test, and build applications on Arc, which Circle calls an “Economic OS” for the internet.

Unveiled in August as an open Layer 1 network, Arc is designed to support developers and companies seeking to bring real-world financial activity on-chain. Circle said the blockchain’s purpose is to facilitate scalable, globally distributed economic activity across borders. The firm described Arc as a system capable of connecting every local market to the global digital economy.