Circle Acquires Nearly a Thousand Blockchain Patents from IBM, Becoming the Largest Holder of Blockchain Patents in the United States

July 27th - Stablecoin issuer Circle announced that it has acquired nearly 1000 blockchain-related patents from IBM. After the transaction, Circle will become one of the largest blockchain patent holders in the United States.

This acquisition involves over 680 patent families covering areas such as blockchain technology, banking operations, financial services, insurance, enterprise infrastructure, supply chain validation, and cloud security. Details of the transaction amount and whether IBM will retain related patent licenses have not been disclosed.

Circle stated that these intellectual property assets will be used to support USDC, Circle Payments Network, Arc Blockchain, and financial tool development for AI agents. Both parties also plan to further explore business cooperation opportunities.

Circle's Chief Legal Officer, Sarah Wilson, stated that intellectual property is crucial for driving the development of on-chain infrastructure and expanding application scalability.

Previously, IBM has long been a key player in the U.S. blockchain patent landscape. According to patent analysis firm PatSnap, as of the end of 2025, IBM held approximately 790 blockchain patents.

In December 2023, Circle obtained its first blockchain patent and had previously joined the LOT Network to reduce patent litigation risks. Following this acquisition, Circle further strengthens its technological reserves in the blockchain infrastructure field.