Circle Inc. announced that it has acquired nearly 1,000 licensed blockchain-related patents from IBM. The transaction amount was not disclosed. The company stated that the patents will be used to support its USDC, payment network, and on-chain infrastructure businesses, and that the acquisition will make it one of the companies holding the most such patents in the United States.

Covering more than 680 patent families

According to the company's press release, this batch of patents spans more than 680 patent families, covering areas such as blockchain technology, banking, financial services, insurance, enterprise infrastructure, supply chain verification, and cloud security.

Prior to its sale, IBM was already one of the leading blockchain patent holders in the United States. In a December 2025 report, patent analytics firm PatSnap ranked IBM among the top companies in the US blockchain patent portfolio, alongside Advanced New Technologies and Bank of America.

Will be used for USDC and payment networks

Circle stated that these patents will be used to support USDC, Circle Payments Network, the Arc blockchain, and financial instruments designed for AI agents. The company also stated that Circle and IBM plan to continue exploring further business collaboration opportunities.

Sarah Wilson, Circle's Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, stated that intellectual property plays a vital role in advancing the company's mission and expanding the adoption of on-chain infrastructure.

Transaction details have not yet been disclosed.

Currently, Circle has not disclosed how many patents acquired in this acquisition have been approved in the United States, nor has it stated whether IBM retains licensing rights, or whether Circle will subsequently license, operate, or assert the relevant patent rights.

Public information shows that Circle obtained its first patent in December 2023, which relates to parallel blockchain data processing. The company had previously joined LOT Network to reduce the risk of patent claims against its products.

Additional information:LOT Network is a cross-patent protection network for businesses, where members can reduce the risk of patent litigation under certain conditions.