Circle Acquires IBM Blockchain Patent Portfolio, Becomes Top U.S. Holder
On July 27, Circle announced it has acquired over 1,000 blockchain patents from IBM, making the company behind USDC—the second-largest stablecoin in the world—America's largest holder of blockchain-related intellectual property. The acquisition includes foundational blockchain technology and applications across financial services, enterprise infrastructure, supply chain verification, and cloud operations. Circle plans to integrate these assets into its growing ecosystem, including products like Arc (a payment-focused blockchain) and AI-powered agentic tools for autonomous transactions. The move significantly strengthens Circle's IP position as it builds what it calls the 'internet financial system.' The company previously joined the LOT Network—a group that protects members from patent trolls—and now has enough patents to potentially defend or expand its market. However, no indication was given whether Circle plans offensive legal action with this new portfolio. The acquisition comes amid growing competition in the stablecoin space, particularly as IBM is also a partner of Open Standard and Open USD—a rival dollar-pegged token backed by major financial players like Visa, Mastercard, Google, BlackRock, Stripe, and Coinbase.
Topics: acquisition blockchain intellectual property patents