Circle Internet Group says it will spend 2026 strengthening “durable” stablecoin infrastructure, as more companies test stablecoin payments and onchain settlement. The plan centers on expanding USDC, EURC, USYC, and partner issued stablecoins across more networks, while moving Arc, Circle’s institution focused layer 1 blockchain, closer to a production launch.
Nikhil Chandhok, Circle’s chief product and technology officer, laid out the priorities in a Thursday blog post. He said Circle wants to make it easier for institutions to hold, move, and program stablecoins inside daily operations.
Circle also said it will scale its payments applications so institutions can use stablecoin payments without building the underlying rails themselves.
Circle stablecoin infrastructure plan targets USDC and EURC reach
Circle said it will deepen support on “high impact networks” and expand to more chains. It framed the work as widening where USDC, EURC, USYC, and partner stablecoins can move natively.
Chandhok wrote that Circle will focus on tighter links between stablecoins and Arc, so institutional users can use the assets more directly in operations. He described the goal as making stablecoins simpler to hold and move at scale.
He also pointed to developer tooling and smoother cross chain use. Circle said it wants to streamline “chain complexities,” so developers and institutions face fewer steps when moving stablecoins across networks.
Arc blockchain roadmap moves from testnet toward production
Circle said Arc will move from testnet toward a live production network. Chandhok described work on validator distribution, governance, and deeper integration with Circle’s digital assets stack.
In the blog post, Circle said it wants Arc to become “durable” and “governable” for large scale economic activity. It linked that to institutional risk and compliance expectations, which it said will shape governance design.
Circle launched the Arc public testnet on October 28, 2025. The company described Arc as an open layer 1 network built for developers and companies bringing more economic activity onchain.
Circle payments network scale aims to reduce build work for institutions
Circle said it will scale its payments network and related apps, so institutions can adopt stablecoin payments “rather than building and operating” the infrastructure themselves. That positioning targets banks, payment firms, and large platforms that want stablecoin settlement but do not want to run new rails.
At the same time, Circle tied the payments push to token utility. It said wider stablecoin use depends on making assets easier to program, move, and integrate across networks used in real operations.
Chandhok also said Circle will keep expanding its partner and developer ecosystem to extend global reach. He linked that work to more markets and use cases for stablecoin payments.
USDC market share stays second as stablecoin supply tops $300 billion
Circle’s USDC remains the second largest US dollar pegged stablecoin by market value, behind USDT. Data shared this month put USDC near $75.12 billion and USDT near $186.6 billion.
Broader stablecoin supply has also stayed above $300 billion. DeFiLlama data showed total stablecoin market cap around $307.923 billion, with USDT dominance at 60.41% in the snapshot displayed on its dashboard.
Circle’s 2026 plan lands as stablecoins remain a core topic for institutions and policymakers. Circle’s blog framed the next phase as building infrastructure that companies can rely on when they move payments and settlement flows onto stablecoins.
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Tatevik Avetisyan is an editor at Kriptoworld who covers emerging crypto trends, blockchain innovation, and altcoin developments. She is passionate about breaking down complex stories for a global audience and making digital finance more accessible.
📅 Published: January 30, 2026 • 🕓 Last updated: January 30, 2026
