Circle’s Strategic USDC Move: Acquires Malachite to Power Revolutionary Arc Blockchain

USDC News - Stablecoin giant Circle has acquired Malachite, the consensus engine powering the payments-focused Arc blockchain, from software developer Informal Systems. The deal includes Malachite's complete technology stack and IP portfolio, with nine key technical staff joining Circle's ranks. Financial details remain undisclosed. This strategic acquisition follows Circle's recent unveiling of its proprietary layer-1 blockchain tailored for stablecoin finance—a visionary play as stablecoins position to disrupt the trillion-dollar cross-border payments market. Malachite, built on Tendermint's robust consensus algorithm, delivers unparalleled flexibility and mathematical correctness for decentralized systems while maintaining its open-source Apache 2.0 licensing. With USDC commanding a $65 billion market cap, Circle solidifies its leadership in institutional crypto adoption. The Malachite integration underscores Circle's ambitious vision to architect the foundational infrastructure for next-generation blockchain-based global payments.