Acquisition establishes Circle as the leading U.S. blockchain patent holder and deepens its foundation for the next generation of onchain financial infrastructure
NEW YORK – July 27, 2026 – Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE: CRCL), one of the world’s leading financial platform companies, today announced the acquisition of fundamental assets from the IBM blockchain patent portfolio.
The portfolio comprises over 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide, spanning foundational blockchain technology, banking, financial services, insurance, enterprise infrastructure, supply chain verification, and secure cloud operations.
With this acquisition, Circle becomes the leader in blockchain patent holdings in the United States. The expanded IP position directly supports Circle’s foundation for building the internet financial system, including USDC, Circle Payments Network, Arc, and a growing suite of onchain products and agentic financial tools. Circle and IBM also plan to explore additional commercial opportunities.
“Intellectual property is critical to advancing our mission and expanding adoption of onchain infrastructure,” said Sarah Wilson, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Circle. “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.”
About Circle
Circle (NYSE: CRCL) is one of the world’s leading internet financial platform companies, building the foundation of a more open, global economy through digital assets, payment applications, and programmable blockchain infrastructure. Circle’s platform includes the world’s largest stablecoin network anchored by USDC, Circle Payments Network for global money movement, and Arc, an enterprise-grade blockchain designed to become the Economic OS for the internet. Enterprises, financial institutions, and developers use Circle to power trusted, internet-scale financial innovation. Learn more at circle.com.
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