Circle says Arc is on track for a Sept. 16 public mainnet launch that would open its production blockchain to users and applications while keeping block production within a permissioned validator set.

In a separate post on X, Circle reported more than half a billion testnet transactions, nearly 3 million wallets and more than 100 partners active on private mainnet. It said an initial validator cohort is expected to help operate the network alongside Circle.

Arc’s deployment documentation describes public mainnet as open to all users and applications. Developers can deploy contracts and send transactions without approval, but validation remains restricted to known institutions. Transaction fees are denominated in USDC, and Arc is compatible with Ethereum’s application environment.

Open Access, Permissioned Validators

Circle’s launch announcement says Arc was launched by Arc Network Services LLC and is operated by a permissioned validator set.

The publicly named group consists of Circle plus 11 founding validators: BlackRock, The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, Galaxy, Global Payments, ICE, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation and Visa.

Arc uses permissioned proof-of-authority consensus. Its system documentation says a rotating validator proposes each block and more than two-thirds of validators must agree before it is committed.

Testnet Counts Show Activity, Not Real-Value Performance

Arc’s public testnet explorer displayed 671.5 million total transactions, corroborating Circle’s broad claim of more than half a billion.

Arc’s documentation says its public testnet mirrors mainnet behavior without using real assets. The transaction and wallet counts therefore establish activity in a test environment, not how the network will perform once public users transact with real value.

Circle’s X post describes more than 100 partners as active on private mainnet. Separately, its launch announcement says a range of day-one apps and services are “expected” to be live. Uniswap said it is “ready on day one.”

If Arc launches on Sept. 16 as Circle says it is on track to do, it would move the network from a test environment without real assets to public operation with real value under a permissioned validator group.