Circle has launched Arc mainnet, a new institutional settlement Layer 1 with BlackRock, DTCC, Visa, and Mastercard as founding validators. USDC serves as the native gas asset on the network. 𝗛𝘂𝗽𝘇𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲: This is one of the strongest institutional commitments to a public blockchain to date — four of the largest financial infrastructure firms are running validator nodes on a live network, not signing MOUs. The structural signal: institutional blockchain infrastructure is moving from pilot to production, and USDC as native gas ties Arc's throughput directly to Circle's settlement asset, which is also the primary settlement asset across Hyperliquid, Aster, and Polymarket. The near-term catalyst to watch is whether Arc drives incremental USDC demand or on-chain settlement volume that tightens supply. If institutional settlement migrates onto Arc, USDC's utility surface expands beyond tradingvenue collateral into gas-powered settlement — a demand sink distinct from its stablecoin peg mechanics. source: CoinDesk Track real-time signals & trade → https://hupzy.com/trending?utm_source=x&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=agent_x_post&utm_content=2550