Arc is a blockchain developed by Circle, the issuer of USDC. It is designed to extend Circle's role from stablecoin issuance into settlement infrastructure, with native support for stablecoin-denominated fees and cross-chain flows.

What does zero-gas trading mean on Gate Trenches?

It means users will not pay a separate gas fee for on-chain trades executed through Trenches on Arc. It does not mean the trades are free. Cost is absorbed elsewhere, likely through the exchange, Circle, or the fee structure on Trenches itself. Gate has not disclosed the mechanics.

Is Gate Trenches available in all jurisdictions?

Gate did not specify geographic restrictions in the announcement covered by BeInCrypto. Traders in regulated jurisdictions should check Gate's regional terms before assuming access.

Does this affect USDC directly?

USDC trades at par by design, so a direct price impact is not the read. The relevant metrics are USDC supply on Arc, transaction velocity, and whether Arc's stablecoin-denominated fee model expands USDC's utility beyond a settlement medium.

Gate Integrates Circle's Arc Blockchain, Makes Gate Trenches Zero-Gas Exclusive From Sept. 16

Gate said on Tuesday it will integrate Circle's Arc blockchain across its Web3 stack starting September 16, with Gate Trenches moving to exclusively support zero-gas trading. The exchange described the tie-up as a full integration spanning Gate Wallet, on-chain market data, and cross-chain flows, per a company announcement covered by BeInCrypto. The rollout lands one day after the announcement, an unusually tight window for a chain-level integration.

By Rahul Mehta· AI-assisted· Altcoins & DeFi

What happened

Gate announced a full integration with Circle's Arc blockchain beginning September 16, according to a statement covered by BeInCrypto on Tuesday. The exchange said Arc will underpin Gate Trenches, Gate Wallet, and on-chain market data, with Trenches moving to an exclusively zero-gas trading model. Gate framed the arrangement as a one-stop path spanning five functions: asset discovery, wallet management, market tracking, on-chain trading, and cross-chain interactions.

The wording is specific. Trenches will not merely add Arc as one option among several. It will support zero-gas trading exclusively, a design choice that pushes users onto Arc rails for the on-chain leg.

Circle has not published a matching press release at time of writing, per BeInCrypto's account. Gate did not disclose fee splits, sequencer arrangements, or whether USDC will be the default gas-abstracted settlement asset on Trenches.

Why it matters

Arc is Circle's push to move beyond being a stablecoin issuer and into the settlement layer itself. A centralized exchange the size of Gate routing its Web3 discovery product exclusively onto Arc gives the chain a distribution surface it could not build organically in a quarter. That's the strategic read.

The tactical read is narrower. Zero-gas trading is a UX pitch, not a free lunch. Someone pays the gas, whether that's the exchange subsidising flow, Circle underwriting the chain's fee market, or a fee model that recovers cost through spreads or maker/taker economics on Trenches.

Traders should assume the incentive is real and time-limited until Gate publishes the mechanics. The bigger signal is competitive. Binance's Web3 wallet defaults to BNB Chain.

Gate Integrates Circle's Arc Blockchain, Makes Gate Trenches Zero-Gas Exclusive From Sept. 16

What happened

Why it matters

Market impact

What to watch

Disclaimer

Key takeaways

Frequently asked

Sources