Circle Shares Plummets 5.15 as $1.26 Billion Volume Ranks 52nd Amid Malachite Acquisition to Boost Stablecoin Infrastructure

On August 18, 2025, Circle (CRCL) closed at a 5.15% decline, with a trading volume of $1.26 billion, ranking 52nd in market activity. The drop followed the announcement of its acquisition of Malachite, a consensus engine from Informal Systems, to power its new Arc blockchain. The move aims to enhance stablecoin infrastructure, with Malachite’s open-source design under Apache 2.0 licensing expected to support cross-border payments and financial efficiency.

Circle’s acquisition of Malachite underscores its strategy to build a specialized Layer-1 blockchain for stablecoin operations. The technology, based on the Tendermint algorithm, emphasizes performance, security, and flexibility. Key personnel from Informal Systems will transition to Circle to advance Arc’s development, though financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed. The integration aligns with broader industry trends of asset issuers seeking to optimize blockchain infrastructure for stablecoin growth, projected to reach a trillion-dollar market.

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