Circle has acquired key assets from IBM’s blockchain portfolio, giving the USDC issuer what it describes as the largest blockchain patent holding in the United States.
The transaction includes more than 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide, according to Circle’s announcement. The intellectual property covers blockchain systems alongside banking, financial services, insurance, enterprise infrastructure, supply-chain verification, and secure cloud operations.
Circle did not disclose the purchase price. The companies also did not state whether IBM retained licensing rights to any patents included in the transaction.
Circle General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Sarah Wilson said IBM has long played a pioneering role in technological innovation. She added that intellectual property is essential to Circle’s “mission and expanding adoption of on-chain infrastructure.”
Circle Expands Patent Support Across Products
Circle said the acquired portfolio will support several parts of its existing business. These include the USDC stablecoin, Circle Payments Network, Arc enterprise blockchain, and financial tools designed for artificial intelligence agents.
The company has developed its AI-focused services through Agent Stack products. Circle and IBM also said they intend to explore additional commercial opportunities together following the patent acquisition.
The deal changes the ranking of major US blockchain patent holders. IBM previously held one of the country’s largest portfolios in the sector. A December 2025 PatSnap study listed IBM with 790 patents, matching Advanced New Technologies and Bank of America.
Circle’s purchase of most of IBM’s blockchain patents puts the company above those rivals. Circle received its first patent in December 2023 for technology covering parallel blockchain data processing.
The company had also joined the LOT Network, an organization designed to protect participating businesses from patent-assertion entities.
Circle and IBM Shares Rise in Premarket Trading
Circle shares gained 2.5% in premarket trading after the announcement, while IBM shares increased 1.6%.
The gains came during a difficult period for Circle stock. Yahoo Finance data showed CRCL had fallen 66% over the previous 12 months to $62.36. IBM had declined 18% to $214.19 as of July 27.
Circle shares experienced sharp price swings during 2025, moving from about $81 to a peak near $293 before surrendering most of those gains.
Patent Deal Follows Circle Trust Bank Approval
The acquisition follows Circle’s expansion into regulated financial infrastructure. On July 10, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted final approval for Circle National Trust, a national trust bank that will provide digital asset custody services.
In May, Circle raised $222 million through Arc token sales before the blockchain’s launch, giving the network a $3 billion valuation.
The IBM portfolio includes intellectual property supporting Circle’s stablecoin payments, enterprise blockchain operations, and broader infrastructure activities across regulated digital finance markets in the United States.
