Circle launches x402 Facilitator Service on Arc, Base and Polygon PoS
- —The service supports USDC payments on Arc, Base and Polygon PoS
- —Merchants need only a Circle API key, with no relayers or gas wallets
- —The Arc mainnet launched with validators from BlackRock, DTCC and Visa
- —98.8% of AI-to-AI payment volume via x402 was in USDC
Why it matters: Circle is consolidating the facilitator, blockchain and stablecoin under its own roof, speeding up payments for APIs and AI agents but increasing infrastructure concentration.
Source: Crypto Briefing