USDC Positions for Agentic Economy with Multi-Chain Infrastructure

Circle has introduced a **Forwarding Service** for its Gateway product, streamlining cross-chain USDC transfers for developers. **Key features:** - Eliminates need to manage destination chain gas fees - Reduces multichain infrastructure overhead - Automates destination-chain minting and execution - Enables transfers in under 500ms - Supports sub-cent payments for AI agents **Supported networks include:** Arbitrum, Avalanche, Base, Ethereum, Hyperliquid, Ink, Linea, Monad, Optimism, Polygon, Sei, Solana, Sonic, Unichain, and World Chain. The service aims to lower operational costs, reduce third-party risk, and improve developer experience. [Learn more](http://developers.circle.com/gateway/references/forwarding-service)

The long-standing debate between open payments infrastructure and closed networks has reached a conclusion, according to @ddisparte. **Key developments:** - Open infrastructure has proven its viability in competing with traditional closed payment systems - Stablecoins are entering a new phase following this settlement - The shift builds on momentum from Consensus Miami, where stablecoins emerged as central to financial infrastructure discussions **What's next:** The focus now turns to how stablecoins will evolve as trusted, internet-native rails for global value transfer across payments, banking, and capital markets.

Circle is attending the AI Engineer World's Fair in San Francisco from June 29th to July 2nd to demonstrate payment infrastructure designed for AI agents and machine-to-machine transactions. **What's Being Showcased:** - Agent Wallets for autonomous payment handling - Agent Marketplace for service discovery - Circle CLI for developer integration - USDC payments for APIs and services The company is positioning USDC as infrastructure for real-time settlement in usage-based and agentic workflows. Builders can visit booth L-G32 for hands-on demos. [Learn more](http://agents.circle.com)

**Existing blockchains face significant challenges** in migrating to post-quantum cryptography due to coordination complexities across their networks. **Arc takes a different approach** - according to @jerallaire, the blockchain is being built with post-quantum signatures integrated from day one, avoiding future migration headaches. **Why this matters:** - Traditional blockchains must coordinate network-wide upgrades to quantum-resistant cryptography - Migration requires consensus among validators, developers, and users - Building quantum resistance from the start eliminates technical debt This follows broader industry trends, with major L1 blockchains ramping up post-quantum security initiatives as quantum computing advances threaten existing signature schemes.

**BlockRun integrates USDC payments into AI agent workflows** Circle Alliance Program member BlockRun has launched a system enabling AI agents to pay for services using USDC. The platform uses x402 protocol for discovery and payment settlement. **Key features:** - AI agents can discover and access services autonomously - Pay-per-request model using wallet-authenticated USDC - Enables machine-to-machine micropayments This builds on Circle's broader vision of USDC as infrastructure for AI-driven transactions. The company previously proposed connecting Circle Gateway with x402 and participated in Google's Agent2Agent initiative. Learn more about the Circle Alliance Program: [circle.com/alliance-program](https://www.circle.com/alliance-program)