Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol on Arc now supports native transfers of Circle’s tokens, EURC and Circle Wrapped Bitcoin (cirBTC). With the Sept. 23 launch, Arc’s interoperability stack is getting broader, but CCTP and Circle Gateway remain two separate protocols. Gateway launches as USDC-only, while CCTP supports multiple assets.
Where supported, CCTP makes 1:1 transfers from compatible chains. For Circle-issued tokens, it works using a burn and mint process on the source chain, where the token is burned on the source chain and native tokens are created on the destination chain.
EURC, which also joined CCTP earlier in September for Ethereum and Base, has also expanded into Arc. cirBTC has native CCTP connectivity between Arc and Ethereum.
Circle claims that cirBTC is fully backed 1:1 in native Bitcoin, with reserves kept onchain and independently verifiable. cirBTC became available to use on Arc on 21 September, and is used by Circle Mint customers for workflows that involve borrowing capital backed by digital assets.
Eligible clients deposit BTC in exchange for cirBTC, which can then be used as collateral in third-party lending markets to borrow USDC rather than selling their Bitcoin.
Their coverage varies by asset: EURC can use CCTP between Arc, Avalanche, Base, Ethereum and World Chain, while cirBTC can only do so between Arc and Ethereum. USDC has the broadest interoperability footprint.
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On supported routes, Circle also optionally provides a Fast Transfer feature which relies on its Forwarding Service, which handles transactions on the destination chain, minimizing gas management on the destination chain.
Gateway does not route one asset through the CCTP. Instead, it consolidates eligible balances into a common pool across the supported participating networks. Gateway currently supports USDC on both Arc and Ethereum. Circle lists EURC and cirBTC support as ‘coming soon’, with no set release date. Their use via CCTP does not mean that they are compatible with Gateway unified balances.
This followed the launch of Arc’s mainnet on September 16, when Circle deployed the Layer-1 platform to enable financial markets, real-time money movement and programmable economic activity to take place on USDC as the native gas asset. More than 100 applications and 100-plus institutional and ecosystem builders were involved at launch.
Circle’s interoperability framework, CCTP, spans beyond Circle’s tokens and allows for native burn-and-mint transfers of Circle-issued assets and lock-and-mint infrastructure for other supported third-party issuer assets. Bridge Kit packages crosschain functionality for developers so that applications can integrate transfers without developers deploying separate bridging infrastructure.
The Sept. 23 launch marked the transition of Circle from USDC-centric interoperability to multi-asset, with CCTP support for EURC and cirBTC live on select routes and Gateway’s multi-asset expansion still pending.
Circle has yet to announce a date for the next stage; it is still offering native transfers, and broader unified-balance support is planned.
