Circle is arming USDC with 1,000 IBM patents to secure its grip on global banking rails

Circle has acquired nearly 1,000 IBM blockchain patents as the USD Coin (USDC) issuer pushes deeper into the infrastructure connecting stablecoins with banks and payment networks.

In a July 27 statement, the firm said the portfolio includes more than 680 patent families spanning blockchain technology, banking, financial services, insurance, enterprise infrastructure, supply-chain verification, and secure cloud operations.

Circle said the deal makes it the leading holder of blockchain patents in the United States.

The patents will support USDC, Circle Payments Network, its Arc blockchain and a growing suite of onchain and agentic financial tools, while Circle and IBM plan to explore additional commercial opportunities.

Meanwhile, the acquisition gives Circle potential intellectual-property leverage as stablecoins move beyond crypto trading into settlement, treasury operations and mainstream payments, where IBM spent years patenting ways to connect blockchain systems with conventional financial networks.

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