Circle Bolsters USDC Infrastructure with Strategic Acquisition of Malachite for Arc Blockchain

Stablecoin giant Circle has acquired Malachite, the consensus engine powering its upcoming payments-focused Arc blockchain, from software developer Informal Systems. The deal includes key personnel transitions but financial details remain confidential.

This strategic MOVE follows Circle's recent layer-1 blockchain announcement targeting stablecoin finance, positioning the $65B USDC issuer at the forefront of a projected $1T market. The acquisition could revolutionize cross-border payments as stablecoin adoption accelerates.

Malachite's Tendermint-based consensus algorithm offers decentralized systems both flexibility and reliability. The open-source Apache 2.0 license ensures continued developer access, while Informal Systems maintains support for other Malachite implementations and advances its distributed systems technology stack.