Things you might not know yet: Arc is not a meme coin chain. Arc was built by Circle, the company behind USDC, and its founding validator list includes BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, ICE, and DTCC. Its public mainnet just launched on September 16, 2026.
So, there are two stories running concurrently on the same chain, and you need to understand both before jumping into any calls. This article explains what Arc is, what actually happened on day one, and four facts rarely mentioned in calls.
One thing I need to state upfront: none of the tokens discussed in the meme coin section of this article are available on Mobee. This article is for informational purposes, not financial advice.
Key Takeaways
- Arc is a Layer 1 blockchain from Circle, designed specifically for financial activities such as payments, foreign exchange, capital markets, and tokenized assets.
- Gas fees on Arc are paid in USDC, not a volatile native token. This is its main differentiator from almost all other L1s.
- The public mainnet launched on September 16, 2026, following a private mainnet phase involving over 100 builders and institutions.
- Its founding validators are major institutions: BlackRock, DTCC, Galaxy, Global Payments, ICE, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, and Visa.
- On day one, it was actually meme coins that exploded, with tokens like COOL, TOLLY, LONG, and WARP taking center stage.
- There is no official ARC token from Circle. Circle only published an exploratory whitepaper in May 2026, with no commitments, no dates, and no supply figures. Any ARC-ticker tokens currently in circulation do not belong to Circle.
- Its liquidity is far lower than its market capitalization, and some contracts have not been audited. One platform even retains emergency withdrawal rights in the hands of the contract owner.
- What is available on Mobee is USDC, which is the asset used for Arc gas fees, not a meme coin token built on top of it.
What Is the Arc Blockchain?
Arc is a Layer 1 blockchain designed to be stablecoin-native by Circle, the issuer of USDC.
The term stablecoin-native here is more than just a marketing label. It means that the stablecoin is not just an application running on the chain, but an integral part of the network's core design.
Its key technical specifications:
EVM compatibility means developers can use existing Ethereum tools without having to learn a new language. This is the technical reason why its ecosystem can form so quickly.
The list of founding validators you should pay attention to: BlackRock, DTCC, Galaxy, Global Payments, ICE, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, and Visa. This is not a list of crypto project names, but rather the world's largest asset managers, US securities clearing houses, payment card networks, and exchanges. Circle's background as a stablecoin issuer is also relevant here, and you can read more about the tokenization of real-world assets at Ondo Finance.
Why Using USDC for Gas Is Important
This part is often overlooked, yet it is the core differentiator of Arc.
On almost every blockchain, you need a native token to pay for transaction fees. On Ethereum, you need ETH; on Solana, you need SOL. Consequently, if you only want to send stablecoins, you still have to hold a second asset whose price fluctuates, and your transaction costs change along with the price of that token.
On Arc, gas is paid with USDC. This means:
- You don't need to hold a second asset just to be able to transact.
- Transaction fees can be estimated in dollar terms, without fluctuating due to gas token prices.
- For companies that need to include transaction costs in their bookkeeping, this is much easier to calculate.
This is why Arc was built for payments and capital markets, not for speculation. And precisely because of that, what happened on day one is interesting.
What Actually Happened on Day One
Before and at the moment the public mainnet opened, the busiest activity wasn't institutional payment applications, but rather launchpads and meme coins.
Some of the tokens that took center stage, along with their market capitalizations:
There are five launchpad models running, ranging from direct pool locking, bonding curve models, and social media bot launches, to those based on Uniswap V4. Some platforms like ubi.fun and Minara have openly stated they do not have platform tokens.
An irony worth noting. A chain built for BlackRock and Visa was used on its first day to trade cat mascots. This is not a moral judgment, just an important observation: activity on a chain does not always reflect the purpose for which it was built. Do not infer the quality of a token from the credibility of the chain it resides on.
Four Facts Rarely Mentioned on Calls
This is the most important part of this article.
Fact 1: There Is No Official ARC Token
If anyone offers you an "ARC token," stop for a moment.
Circle has not launched an ARC token. There is only an exploratory whitepaper published in May 2026, which discusses the possibility of a coordination asset with staking, governance, and fee mechanism functions. It is exploratory in nature, not a commitment. There is no launch date, no supply amount, and no allocation table.
In fact, there are several assets trading under the ARC ticker, and none of them are Circle's Arc chain token, because that token does not yet exist.
Circle also has not announced an airdrop and has not set any eligibility criteria. A pattern you need to watch out for: a major chain runs a testnet, testnet activity is high, and then a small industry emerges selling "airdrop farming" guides. Any site claiming your testnet wallet is already eligible for something is likely making up both the program and the requirements.
How to identify tokens claiming to be official projects is discussed in full at how to identify fake tokens.
Fact 2: Liquidity is Much Smaller than Market Capitalization
This is a technical risk that new buyers most often fail to understand.
For early tokens on Arc, market capitalization is recorded in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but the liquidity pools are often only in the tens of thousands of dollars.
What does this mean in practice? Market capitalization is the last price multiplied by the number of tokens. That figure does not guarantee there is a buyer at that price. A small liquidity pool means that even a moderately sized sell order is enough to drive the price down sharply.
The consequences are harsh: you may see profit figures on your screen but be unable to realize them. When you try to exit, it is the price that moves, not your balance.
One more note on concentration. On Warp, about 84% of trading volume comes from its own platform token. Volume concentrated like that reflects internal ecosystem activity, not broad market demand.
Fact 3: Some Contracts Are Unaudited, and Some Retain Emergency Withdrawal Rights
The majority of contracts in the early Arc ecosystem are unaudited.
And there is one detail you need to read twice. On act.fun, which ran a presale with a valuation of US$50,000 to US$200,000, the contract owner still holds emergency withdrawal rights.
This means that, technically, the contract owner has the ability to withdraw funds. Whether they will do so is another matter, but the capability exists, and that capability is what defines the risk here. This is the same pattern discussed in what a rug pull is.
Another example: long.supply issued stock tokens, and their compliance verification remains questionable. Tokens that claim to represent shares without clear compliance status pose a different type of risk, not just price risk. To understand how compliant stock tokens should work, compare them with how xStocks works and US stock tokens vs. common stock.
There are also platforms that promise liquidity locking, but those promises remain unconfirmed.
Fact 4: Some Early Activity Occurred in a Closed Environment
This is the easiest thing to misinterpret from the charts.
Before the public mainnet was opened, the assets being traded were assets on the private Arc mainnet, without official validation. The volume seen during that period took place in a closed environment.
So, if you see a screenshot of a chart showing high volume from the days before September 16, understand the context first. Figures generated in a closed environment do not automatically apply as open market prices.
How to Filter Meme Coin Calls
If you still want to monitor this sector, at the very least, do these six things before touching anything.
- Check the contract address and compare it with the project's official announcement. If there is no official announcement, that is your answer right there.
- Check the size of the liquidity pool, not the market capitalization. Compare the two. If the market cap is significantly larger than the liquidity, you likely won't be able to exit at the price you see.
- Check if the contract owner still has special privileges, such as minting additional tokens or withdrawing funds.
- Check if the liquidity is actually locked, not just promised to be locked.
- Check where the volume is coming from. Volume that primarily originates from the platform itself is not a sign of market demand.
- Do not use the chain's credibility as a guarantee for a token. Arc is backed by Visa and BlackRock, but that doesn't make a cat token on it safe.
A more complete framework for navigating this sector can be found in memecoin trading strategy, and a more general analytical approach in how to analyze crypto.
What's Available on Mobee
To be clear: the meme coin tokens in the Arc ecosystem discussed in this article are not available on Mobee. Assets traded on Mobee have gone through a selection process, and Mobee operates as a Digital Financial Asset Trader registered and supervised by the OJK.
What is available and relevant to the Arc discussion:
USDC, the stablecoin used for gas fees on Arc. This is the most direct intersection between Arc and assets you can access with Rupiah. Available in USDC/IDR, checked and confirmed available.
If you are looking for exposure to the meme coin sector, Mobee has several assets from this sector already listed with visible liquidity:
- PUMP, Pump.fun token, a meme coin launchpad platform
- M, MemeCore
- PENGU, Pudgy Penguins
- WIF, dogwifhat
- SPX, SPX6900
Everything has been checked and confirmed available as of September 16, 2026.
Key Takeaways. Being listed on a regulated exchange does not mean an asset is risk-free. Meme coins remain the most volatile assets in their class, and none of the items on the list above are recommendations. The difference between these and tokens on Arc is not about profit potential, but rather about verifiable liquidity and the presence of regulated operators. You can check the list of regulated operators at crypto exchanges regulated by the OJK, and the regulatory framework at crypto legality.
What to Watch
First, whether Arc is truly being used for its intended purpose. The long-term value of this chain will not be determined by the hype surrounding meme coins on day one, but by whether validators like Visa, Mastercard, and the DTCC actually migrate payment and capital market activities onto it.
Second, the arrival of major DeFi protocols. Uniswap, Aave, and Morpho are reportedly set to follow, along with market makers like FalconX and GSR. The presence of market makers is the most relevant factor for the thin liquidity issues discussed above.
Third, Circle's official stance on the token. As long as the May 2026 whitepaper remains exploratory, any claims regarding the ARC token, schedules, or airdrops should be considered baseless until there is an announcement from Circle itself.
Fourth, how day-one tokens perform over time. The meme coin launch sector follows a recurring pattern, and most day-one tokens do not survive. The next one to two weeks will provide a more honest picture than the charts from the first day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Disclaimer. All information in this article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. The mention of token names in this article is an explanation of market activity, not an invitation to buy, and the Arc ecosystem tokens mentioned here are not available on Mobee. Newly launched ecosystem assets carry significantly higher liquidity, smart contract, and issuer risks compared to established assets. All market capitalization and volume data are point-in-time as of the article's drafting on September 16, 2026, and are subject to rapid change. Always conduct your own research and consider your risk tolerance before making any decisions.
