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Circle is a global fintech company that helps businesses use digital currencies and public blockchains for payments, commerce, and financial applications. It provides a platform for digital payments and related financial services built on blockchain technology, charging transaction fees and service charges for its activities. How it works: Circle offers digital currency and blockchain-based payment capabilities that enable fast, secure transfers and cross-border transactions for businesses of all sizes; revenue comes from fees on these services. How it differs from competitors: Circle targets a broad range of business customers and focuses on integrating digital currencies and public blockchains into everyday commercial and financial processes, emphasizing security and efficiency. Circle's goal is to become a leading provider of enterprise-grade digital finance tools, helping many organizations adopt and use digital currencies and blockchain-based payments globally.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
New York City, New York
Founded
2013
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Paid time off - We offer flexible paid time off — take what you need as long as it works with you and your team, and all Circle employees get mobile phone and home office reimbursements.
Health coverage - No matter where you live, we offer a market competitive suite of benefits. Enroll in health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurances, and Circle covers some or all of the premiums.
Invested in your future - All U.S. full-time and part-time employees enjoy 401(k) and pensions (with 4% company match if you contribute 5% or more), and share Circle’s success via company equity awards.
Learning & development - Your individual growth and development is important to us and we provide the resources to help you grow your career while at Circle.
Circle's USDC stablecoin generated $668 million in reserve income during Q2 2026 from its $76.5 billion circulation, with Coinbase earning $292 million from stablecoins — approximately a quarter of its total revenue. Stablecoin rewards function like savings account interest, paid to holders of dollar-pegged tokens. The income derives from reserves held in US Treasury bills and repurchase agreements, which yield close to the Federal Reserve's benchmark rates. The CLARITY Act, which sought to limit these payments, failed in the Senate on 15 September 2026. Neither Coinbase nor Circle saw stock gains following the bill's defeat. CRCL fell 6% whilst COIN barely gained. The GENIUS Act would ban issuer-paid interest from January 2027. Bank lobbyists continue pressing regulators to close exchange pass-through loopholes that currently allow these reward structures to operate.
SBI Group, Ripple's largest external shareholder with a roughly 9% stake valued near $4 billion, has become a founding validator for Circle's Arc blockchain. The move creates an apparent contradiction: SBI simultaneously backs Ripple's XRP and RLUSD infrastructure whilst securing a rival chain designed to make USDC the default institutional settlement currency. Arc launched on 16 September 2026 as an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain using USDC as its native gas asset, eliminating volatile token pricing. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire said Arc aims to provide "a blockchain network [the financial system] can trust", with sub-second settlement and integrated foreign-exchange capabilities. SBI's dual positioning extends beyond equity. SBI Ripple Asia operates Japan's only live XRP remittance corridor and became Asia's first regulated RLUSD distributor in March 2026. The parallel commitments suggest institutional hedging as settlement infrastructure competition remains unresolved.
Circle's Arc Network mainnet launched on 16 September 2026 as an EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain designed for stablecoin transactions and tokenisation. The company raised $222 million in a private ARC token presale at a $3 billion valuation. No airdrop has been confirmed, and no token distribution date exists. However, users are positioning themselves through testnet participation and Arc House, a points programme, based on patterns from similar Layer-1 launches. To participate, users can add Arc testnet to wallets like MetaMask, claim daily testnet USDC from Circle's faucet, make on-chain transactions, and complete tasks through Arc House. Activities include swapping stablecoins on Tower Exchange, deploying contracts, and minting NFTs. Circle warns users to exercise caution with phishing attempts and emphasises that testnet tokens hold no monetary value.
Circle publicly releases Arc blockchain to institutions. Published September 16, 2026, 3:20 p.m. EDT Updated September 16, 2026, 3:54 p.m. EDT * Key insight: Circle has launched Arc, its blockchain network for the USDC stablecoin, to the public so firms like banks and payments companies can transact on it. * Expert quote: Coin Bureau's Nic Puckrin said that the validators behind Arc, like BlackRock, DTCC, Visa and Mastercard, "are what give it credibility." * Forward look: The opt-in privacy feature for sensitive transactions that financial institutions may want to conduct on Arc is still in development. Circle Internet Group has publicly launched its open blockchain network for institutions. Amid growing regulatory clarity, the giants of finance press ahead with adoption of tokenized securities, commodities and deposits at scale. Ask follow-ups with AI answers pro. Tech Reporter Melinda Lucy (formerly Huspen) covers the intersection of banking and financial technology for American Banker and is based in New York, NY... Read full bio
Circle launched its Arc mainnet on Wednesday, a blockchain described as "the single most significant launch in Circle's history since USD Coin itself". Founding validators include BlackRock, DTCC, Intercontinental Exchange, Visa, and Mastercard, with no crypto-native firms among them. More than 100 institutional and ecosystem builders went live on the network on day one. Global banks with access include BNY, HSBC, Société Générale, and State Street, whilst asset managers building tokenised products include Bitwise, BlackRock, and Janus Henderson. Circle completed the genesis mint of its ARC token this week, creating an initial supply of 10 billion tokens. The launch came a day after the Senate blocked the CLARITY Act, the crypto industry's central legislative push.