Circle buys IBM blockchain patent portfolio assets

Circle acquired fundamental assets from IBM’s blockchain patent portfolio.

The portfolio includes more than 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide.

Circle said the deal makes it the largest holder of blockchain patents in the US.

The expanded IP position supports USDC, Circle Payments Network, Arc, onchain products, and agentic financial tools.

Circle and IBM plan to explore additional commercial opportunities tied to the portfolio.