Circle Internet Group, the NYSE-listed financial technology company behind USDC, has acquired fundamental assets from IBM’s blockchain patent portfolio, becoming the largest holder of blockchain patents in the US.
The acquired portfolio includes more than 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents globally, covering blockchain infrastructure and applications across financial services, insurance, enterprise technology, supply chain verification and secure cloud operations.
The deal strengthens Circle’s intellectual property position as it expands its vision for an internet-native financial system built around digital assets, payment infrastructure and programmable blockchain technology.
Circle said the acquired patents will support its development of products including USDC, the Circle Payments Network, its Arc blockchain and emerging agentic financial tools. The company and IBM will also explore additional commercial opportunities following the transaction.
The move comes as financial institutions and technology providers continue investing in blockchain infrastructure designed to support faster payments, tokenised assets and new digital financial services.
Circle General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Sarah Wilson said, “Intellectual property is critical to advancing our mission and expanding adoption of onchain infrastructure. IBM has been a pioneer in technological innovation, and this acquisition expands Circle’s ability to advance the infrastructure that powers global, internet-native finance.”
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