Visible Revives Family Plan Feature with "Inner Circle"

Visible is reviving its "Inner Circle" feature, which allows friends and families to save on monthly prices with no strings attached. The feature, set to launch on August 21, is similar to the previously discontinued "Party Pay," but with a twist: members can save up to $5/month, but only if they're on a premium plan, and the discount doesn't stack with the number of users.

Circle has announced the launch of Arc, a new Layer-1 blockchain designed to support stablecoin payments, FX, and capital market applications. Arc is built to be scalable, secure, and EVM-compatible, with USDC serving as its native gas token [1]. This announcement comes alongside Circle's Q2 2025 earnings report, which highlights a significant increase in USDC adoption and transaction volumes.

The Q2 2025 report shows that USDC circulation reached $61.3 billion, up 90% year-over-year, with on-chain transaction volumes exceeding $5.9 trillion [1]. Circle's revenue and reserve income also increased by 53% and 52% respectively, while adjusted EBITDA grew by 52%. CEO Jeremy Allaire called this quarter "a defining moment" for the stablecoin ecosystem, emphasizing accelerating interest in building on USDC [1].

Arc is not just another blockchain but a financial-grade Layer-1 network focused on stablecoin-powered use cases. Key features include the use of USDC for transaction fees, a pre-written FX engine for simplified cross-currency swaps, sub-second finality for real-time settlement, and EVM compatibility to enable Ethereum application deployment without reengineering [1]. The blockchain will be open-sourced under a permissive license, fostering global development of financial products.

Circle's strategic partnerships also played a significant role in expanding its reach. The company has collaborated with Binance, FIS, and OKX, among others, to enhance liquidity and global reach of stablecoins and facilitate cross-border settlements [1]. The Circle Payments Network, launched in May, allows banks and financial institutions to use stablecoins for instant payments, with over 100 establishments already in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, continues to expand its bitcoin holdings. The company acquired an additional 155 BTC, bringing its total holdings to nearly 629,000 BTC, representing close to 3% of the total bitcoin supply [2]. Strategy's aggressive capital plan aims to raise a total of $84 billion for bitcoin acquisitions through 2027.

These developments indicate a growing focus on stablecoins and institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies. Circle's Arc blockchain and increasing USDC adoption position the company as a leader in the stablecoin layer of the internet economy. As the stablecoin market continues to grow, Circle's Arc and USDC could play a pivotal role in shaping the future of digital finance.

References:
[1] https://www.cryptoninjas.net/news/circle-unveils-arc-layer-1-blockchain-following-5-9t-usdc-quarter-2-earnings-report/
[2] https://bitbo.io/news/strategy-nears-3-percent-supply/