USDC Issuer Circle Targets IBM’s Deep Blockchain Portfolio With Deal for 1,000 Patents

Circle said July 27 that it acquired fundamental assets from IBM’s blockchain patent portfolio, covering more than 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide. The deal gives Circle a broad intellectual-property base spanning blockchain, banking, insurance and secure cloud operations.

The company said the acquisition makes it the leading U.S. holder of blockchain patents. The portfolio is intended to support USDC, Circle Payments Network, Arc and a growing set of onchain products and agentic financial tools, placing patent ownership directly behind Circle’s infrastructure expansion strategy.

Circle and IBM also plan to explore additional commercial opportunities, although the announcement did not detail specific products or deployment timelines. The next test is how the acquired portfolio translates into development, licensing or defensive protection, because the strategic value now depends on converting nearly 1,000 patents into usable financial infrastructure.

Source: Circle.

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