Circle Buys IBM's 1,000-Patent Blockchain Stash Like It's Hoarding NFT Apes 🦍

Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, said Monday it will acquire IBM's blockchain patent portfolio in a transaction for which no financial details were disclosed. The portfolio comprises more than 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide, according to Circle's announcement. CRCL stock price was up more than 2% in premarket activity on Monday following the announcement, according to Yahoo Finance data.

The acquisition positions Circle as the leader in blockchain patent holdings in the United States, the company said, adding that the intellectual property directly supports its foundation for building the internet financial system. IBM's blockchain research has leaned heavily into supply chain applications designed to increase transparency in tracking products across numerous intermediaries.

According to research firm GreyB, IBM slowed its blockchain patent filings in recent years after peak activity in 2018 and 2019, when more than 500 blockchain-related patents were filed. The acquisition adds those earlier holdings, along with subsequent grants, to Circle's portfolio.

"IBM has been a pioneer in technological innovation, and this acquisition expands Circle's ability to advance the infrastructure that powers global, internet-native finance," said Sarah Wilson, general counsel and corporate secretary at Circle. The deal expands Circle's existing intellectual property base as competition intensifies among stablecoin issuers and tokenization platforms seeking patent coverage across payments, settlement and on-chain identity.