Circle buys fundamental assets from IBM's blockchain patent portfolio

Circle acquired fundamental assets from IBM's blockchain patent portfolio. The company says the deal makes it the leading U.S. holder of blockchain patents. The patents cover USDC, Circle Payments Network, Arc and its agentic products, and the two companies plan to explore further commercial work. The price was not disclosed.

• The portfolio includes more than 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide
• Coverage spans blockchain, banking, financial services, enterprise infrastructure and supply chain verification
• Purchase price not disclosed
• Circle and IBM plan to explore additional commercial opportunities