{
  "id": 7810919,
  "title": "Circle Debuts Agentic Commerce-Focused Blockchain Arc",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/circle-debuts-agentic-commerce-focused-blockchain-arc",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-16T15:19:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PYMNTS",
    "slug": "pymnts",
    "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/blockchain/2026/circle-debuts-agentic-commerce-focused-blockchain-arc/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Circle has unveiled Arc, a blockchain technology tailored for financial markets, real-time monetary transactions, and agentic economic operations. The new blockchain is set to debut on Circle's platform, alongside their popular USDC stablecoin. Jeremy Allaire, Circle's founder, chairman, and CEO, emphasized Arc's significance, stating, \"Arc is the single most significant launch in Circle's history since USDC itself, and it is the embodiment of the premise we have operated on for thirteen years: money should work the way the internet works.\" Allaire further explained that the agentic and on-chain economy operate on the same principles, necessitating an infrastructure that never ceases, settles in less than a second, and is trusted by the institutions that uphold the global financial system.\n\nArc is positioned as the first blockchain built with artificial intelligence (AI) agents in mind, who execute economic tasks such as executing trades, managing payments, routing liquidity, and executing contracts on behalf of individuals and businesses. Currently, USDC makes up 98.8% of agent-driven transaction volumes, with the majority of agent-to-agent payments settling over the x402 standard utilizing USDC.\n\nCircle's Agent Stack, introduced in May, has seen the vast majority of agent-to-agent payments settle in USDC. The introduction of Arc marks the first blockchain designed to accommodate this new class of participants from its inception. A recent PYMNTS Intelligence report, \"Will the 2026 Shopping Season Go Agentic?\", examined the growing trend of agentic commerce. The research found that 132 million U.S. adults, nearly half of the adult population, have made a retail purchase with AI assistance. Additionally, 22% of those surveyed now initiate online retail research using an artificial intelligence tool. However, consumer caution increases as AI agents become more involved in financial transactions, with only 24% of respondents willing to allow an agent to both shop and buy. The report suggests that this cautious approach indicates a market shift towards a more controlled form of delegation, where AI agents carry out tasks, consumers set the rules, a trusted payment provider safeguards credentials, and transactions pause when consequential decisions are reached.",
  "summary": "Circle has introduced Arc, a blockchain designed for financial markets, real-time money movement and agentic economic activity. Arc launches with integration into Circle’s platform, including the USDC stablecoin, the company said in a Wednesday (Sept. 16) news release. “Arc is the single most significant launch in Circle’s history since USDC itself, and it is the embodiment of […] The post Circle…",
  "key_points": [
    "Circle unveils Arc blockchain for financial markets and agentic commerce.",
    "Arc designed with AI agents to execute economic tasks instantly.",
    "USDC dominates agent-to-agent payments on Arc, settling over x402 standard."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}