Circle Sets September 16 Arc Mainnet Launch With Institutional Validators
Circle has set September 16, 2026 for the public mainnet launch of Arc and unveiled a founding cohort of institutional validators that will secure the network at genesis. The company confirmed the timeline and participants in an August 5 announcement.
The validator set includes BlackRock, DTCC, ICE, Mastercard and Visa alongside other financial and payments firms. Circle said Arc is already running in private mainnet as it prepares for the public cutover.
Arc mainnet date and founding validators confirmed
Circle said the Arc network will go to public mainnet on September 16, 2026. The founding validator cohort named for launch comprises BlackRock; The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC); Galaxy; Global Payments; Intercontinental Exchange (ICE); Mastercard; MoneyGram; SBI Group; Standard Chartered; Sumitomo Corporation; and Visa.
- Current status: Arc is operating in private mainnet with more than 100 ecosystem and institutional builders ahead of the public launch.
- Early integrations: BlackRock is expected to deploy BUIDL on Arc, and Circle said it will collaborate with DTCC to enable tokenization of DTC‑custodied assets on Arc beginning in the second half of 2027.
Arc’s path to mainnet has been publicly tracked since a testnet went live in October 2025, with an ARC token whitepaper and presale activity reported in May 2026, according to independent coverage from Decrypt. The August 5 disclosure from Circle formalizes the mainnet date and validator lineup.
… Continue reading the full article at the original source below.
