Could AI agents kill Circle’s new layer-1 blockchain Arc?

Homepage > News > Finance > Could AI agents kill Circle’s new layer-1 blockchain Arc? TL;DR: Circle’s USDC currently dominates AI agent payment activity, but that lead faces growing competition as the stablecoin and blockchain landscape evolves. As more players enter the space, Apple and Google are building expertise in stablecoins and tokenized finance, while Circle and Tether develop their own blockchain infrastructure. Key Takeaways Apple is seeking financial product expertise involving stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and blockchain, while Google is expanding its Web3 and digital asset capabilities and developing the Google Clound Universal Ledger. Circle’s Arc layer-1 network launched its public mainnet as a blockchain designed for both human and machine transactions. Circle also minted 10 billion ARC tokens as it explores a future proof-of-stake model. Circle says USDC controls 98.6% of agentic AI payment volume, while TRM Labs found that USDC accounted for 99.6% of the value settled through x402 since May 2025. Although current agentic AI payment volumes remain small, forecasts point to dramatically greater activity. Arc currently processes more than 3,000 TPS, with...