Circle, the company behind the stablecoin USDC, has purchased almost 1,000 blockchain patents from IBM. This acquisition now makes Circle the biggest owner of blockchain-related patents in the U.S.
According to a recent announcement, the company’s collection of patents includes over 680 groups related to technologies like blockchain, banking, finance, insurance, business systems, tracking goods, and keeping data safe in the cloud.
The deal’s financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Even before selling its blockchain business, IBM held a significant number of U.S. blockchain patents. A report from December 2025 by PatSnap, a patent analysis company, showed IBM owning 790 patents, putting it alongside Advanced New Technologies and Bank of America as leading patent holders.
Circle announced its digital asset portfolio will include support for USDC, the Circle Payments Network, its Arc blockchain technology, and financial tools specifically built for AI. Circle and IBM are also looking for ways to collaborate on future business ventures.
Protecting intellectual property is essential for Circle to achieve its goals and encourage wider use of blockchain technology, according to Sarah Wilson, the company’s top lawyer.
In December 2023, Circle was granted its first patent for a new method of processing blockchain data more efficiently. Prior to this, the company had proactively joined the LOT Network to safeguard its products against potential patent-related lawsuits.
The company hasn’t revealed how many of the patents it bought were granted in the United States. It also hasn’t said if IBM kept any rights to use the patents, or if it intends to allow others to use them or actively protect them with legal action.
CoinDesk contacted Circle for a response, but hadn’t received one as of this moment. Shares of CRCL are currently up 2.5% in pre-market trading.
2026-07-27 16:16