Circle's shares saw a 10% increase in pre-market trading following the announcement of institutional interest in its Arc blockchain.

By Krisztian Sandor|Edited by Omkar Godbole Updated Aug 5, 2026, 11:22 a.m. Published Aug 5, 2026, 11:13 a.m. 2 min read

Circle's stock climbed about 10% in pre-market trading on Wednesday after the company reported second-quarter earnings that exceeded profit expectations, despite a modest revenue shortfall compared to Wall Street's forecasts.

  • Circle reported adjusted earnings of 18 cents per share, surpassing analysts' average estimate of 16 cents. However, total revenue and reserve income grew by 7% year-over-year to $701 million, falling short of the anticipated $712 million.
  • Net income from continuing operations reached $48 million, exceeding the projected $43 million, while adjusted EBITDA rose by 8% to $143 million.
  • Circle's USDC stablecoin continued to thrive, with circulation increasing by 19% year-over-year to $73.3 billion, although this is down from its peak of nearly $80 billion in 2026. Onchain transaction volume surged by 151%, hitting $14.8 trillion for the quarter.

CEO Jeremy Allaire commented, "Our quarterly financial results reflect the current rate environment and a crypto market that has slowed. But the institutions using USDC today, like BlackRock, BNY, and Standard Chartered aren't piloting; they are expanding."

The report also provided significant updates regarding Circle's Arc blockchain network, which is set to launch its public mainnet on September 16. Circle indicated that over 100 institutional and ecosystem builders are developing on Arc. Notable participants include BlackRock, DTCC, ICE, Mastercard, Visa, Standard Chartered, and Galaxy. BlackRock plans to utilize its BUIDL tokenized U.S. Treasury fund on the network, while DTCC is working on infrastructure to tokenize securities held in its depository.

These developments highlight Circle's strategy to establish Arc as a key infrastructure for tokenized assets and institutional payments, as global banks and asset managers increasingly adopt blockchain solutions for tokenized funds, stablecoin settlements, and collateral management.

Circle also noted growth in its Circle Payments Network (CPN), which recorded an annualized transaction volume of $14.7 billion over the past 30 days, a 76% increase from the previous quarter, with participation from 175 financial institutions.

Additionally, Circle has recently received approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to create Circle National Trust, allowing it to operate as a stablecoin issuer with a federal trust bank charter under federal supervision.

Read more: Open USD rattled Circle's stock, but its key backers still support USDC