Circle Acquires Nearly 1,000 Blockchain Patents from IBM, Becomes Largest U.S. Holder

On July 27, 2026, Circle Internet Group acquired nearly 1,000 blockchain-related patents from IBM, making Circle the largest holder of blockchain patents in the United States. The portfolio spans over 680 patent families covering banking, insurance, and cloud security. Circle plans to use these assets to support USDC, its Arc blockchain, and financial tools for AI agents, while exploring future commercial opportunities with IBM. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Circle-IBM patent acquisition

• ▪Circle Internet Group announced the acquisition of blockchain-related assets from IBM's patent portfolio on July 27, 2026.
• ▪The financial terms of Circle Internet Group's acquisition of IBM's blockchain patent portfolio were not disclosed.

Blockchain patent portfolio scope

• ▪The acquired patents cover blockchain technology, banking, financial services, insurance, enterprise infrastructure, supply chain verification, and secure cloud operations.
• ▪The acquired IBM patent portfolio includes over 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide.

Circle product applications

• ▪Circle Internet Group plans to use the acquired patents to support USDC, Circle Payments Network, Arc, and financial tools designed for AI agents.
• ▪Circle Internet Group received its first patent, which covered parallel blockchain data processing, in December 2023.

Future IBM partnership exploration

• ▪Circle Internet Group and IBM plan to explore additional commercial opportunities following the patent portfolio acquisition.

U.S. blockchain patent landscape

• ▪Circle Internet Group stated that the acquisition of IBM's patents makes it the holder of the largest blockchain patent portfolio in the United States.
• ▪A December 2025 analysis by PatSnap credited IBM with 790 blockchain patents, placing it among the largest U.S. blockchain patent holders alongside Advanced New Technologies and Bank of America.