Introducing Interop on Arc: Crosschain Liquidity Without the Complexity

Arc mainnet is live. So is Interop on Arc.

Interop on Arc is the connective layer that makes Arc a liquidity hub. It brings Circle’s interoperability stack into the Arc platform so developers can make assets usable across supported chains without stitching together separate bridge providers, trust models, wallets, and balance systems.

For users, the outcome is simpler interoperability: use your USDC (and other supported assets) between Arc and other chains with fewer steps. No fragmented bridging or separate wallet flows to manage, just seamless liquidity access across supported chains.

For developers, Interop on Arc brings four capabilities into one integrated stack:

1. Transferring supported Circle-issued assets
2. Bringing third-party tokens crosschain
3. Launching new multichain assets
4. Managing a unified balance (with Gateway)

Gateway, CCTP, and Forwarding Service are live from Day 1: Gateway coordinates unified balances, CCTP supports native crosschain transfers, and Forwarding Service relays destination chain transactions without requiring users to hold gas there.

Bridge Kit and Arc Studio put those capabilities into practical developer workflows. Together, they create one simple developer experience for moving assets, coordinating balances, and building crosschain applications on Arc. The value of that integrated model becomes clear when you look at how liquidity works across chains today.

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Interop on Arc: One operating model for crosschain liquidity

Liquidity has often been organized, and siloed, by chain. An asset may exist across several networks, yet each deployment can come with separate balances, bridge integrations, operational processes, and security assumptions. The more chains an application supports, the more infrastructure its team must maintain.

Interop on Arc changes the operating model by making Arc the place where assets can be issued, liquidity can be concentrated, and crosschain connectivity is built-in from Day 1. Developers can anchor an application or treasury on Arc while making supported assets available where users want to transact, including DeFi applications on other chains.

A USDC balance can remain coordinated through Gateway while becoming available to applications across supported networks, giving users a compelling reason to hold liquidity on Arc. Developers can spend less time reconciling chain-specific infrastructure and more time building the product experience. Gateway support for additional assets, like EURC and cirBTC, is planned over time. 

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Three paths for crosschain asset movement on Arc

Interop on Arc separates asset movement into clear models, giving developers distinct tools for distinct asset models. Teams can choose the path that fits who issues the asset, how it should move, and which controls its operator needs.

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Transfer supported Circle-issued assets natively with CCTP

Wallets, crypto exchanges, and bridge aggregators can use CCTP to transfer supported Circle-issued assets across supported routes. Existing CCTP integrators can add asset support without adopting a separate bridge protocol for each asset.

CCTP handles native crosschain transfer for USDC, EURC, and cirBTC. CCTP hooks can trigger application logic when assets arrive. Fast Transfer offers sub-10-second transfers on supported Arc routes, while Forwarding Service relays destination chain transactions without requiring the user to hold gas there. Supported CCTP routes involving Arc also receive preferential pricing, with rates that vary by asset and route.

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Bring third-party tokens crosschain

When an asset issuer or application needs crosschain distribution for a third-party token, Interop on Arc supports it through wrapping, using permissionless infrastructure.

Interop on Arc provides tools that help institutions issue and manage digital assets. Issuers can use the Crosschain Token Standard (CTS) when they need to manage rate limits, allowlists, pause controls, upgrades, and other operating policies. Teams can also use custom token contracts. Circle has no override on CTS or custom token contracts, so the asset’s operating model remains distinct from the infrastructure used to transfer it.

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Launch new multichain assets with CTS

Issuers launching a new asset can make multichain distribution part of the Day 1 architecture. CTS is a production-ready token implementation for deploying and managing a multichain asset with built-in governance and policy controls.

Instead of writing and maintaining different token contracts across chains, teams can start with a standardized foundation. CTS includes governance mechanisms, allowlists, rate limits, and centralized management of crosschain tokens. Additional capabilities can be added over time without rebuilding the token architecture.

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Manage a unified crosschain balance with Gateway

Gateway is a standalone product integrated into Interop on Arc that gives users a unified view of supported asset balances across chains and features instant¹ transfers within that balance. For developers building on Arc, Gateway reduces the need to reconcile chain-specific balances or build separate transfer flows.

Gateway coverage varies by asset and chain. The table below shows how Gateway support aligns with CCTP routes and Nanopayments availability at launch.

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Multi-asset support: USDC, EURC, and cirBTC on Arc

Interop on Arc features expanded asset coverage across CCTP and the developer kits. Product support varies by asset and route, with additional asset coverage and product support planned as Arc develops. Here are the core asset flows supported from Day 1:

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Developer tools for building crosschain applications on Arc

The section above covers which assets and routes are supported; here's the toolkit you use to build with them. Interop on Arc combines infrastructure and developer tools in one platform:

• CCTP, Gateway, and Forwarding Service: Support native asset transfers, unified balances, and gasless relaying to destination chains.
• Bridge Kit: Package CCTP’s burn, attestation, and mint flows into a streamlined SDK, reducing the infrastructure developers need to operate.
• Studio: Give Arc developers an integrated building environment, including the full interop stack.

Developers can use these components independently or combine them based on the assets, routes, and product experience they need to support. The result is a cleaner path to products that work across chains. A trading application can let a user access liquidity where a position is available. A wallet can surface supported asset transfers without maintaining a different integration for every route. An issuer can launch on Arc, set operating policies once, and distribute an asset across supported networks.

This is infrastructure built for real financial activity. Circle brings regulated operating experience and institutional-grade security practices to the same stack that developers use for crosschain asset movement. CCTP has already established the foundation for native USDC transfers. Interop on Arc extends that model to more assets, more issuance paths, and a more complete developer experience.

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Put liquidity to work across supported chains

Arc is designed to coordinate liquidity across the multichain economy. Interop on Arc makes that design usable from Day 1.

Developers can move supported Circle-issued assets, bring third-party tokens crosschain, and launch new multichain assets with controls built into the foundation. Users get a simpler way to access supported balances where they transact. Token issuers that use Interop on Arc get a direct path from asset creation to crosschain distribution.

Crosschain liquidity, without the complexity. That is how Arc moves from a chain to a liquidity hub platform.

Start building now.