Arctic plans to launch a USDC-denominated token launchpad on Circle’s Arc blockchain on Sept. 16, timing its debut with Arc mainnet’s public opening.
The platform, Arctic.fun, will allow users to create and trade tokens using USDC, with new assets initially priced through a bonding curve before migrating to liquidity pools on Uniswap v4. Arctic says liquidity deposited into those pools will be permanently locked, aiming to give newly launched tokens a continuing market after they graduate from the initial pricing mechanism.
The launch will also include Arctic’s native ARCTIC token, according to the company. The project has not yet disclosed the token’s supply, initial valuation, allocation, vesting schedule or contract address.
Arctic is positioning USDC as the base asset for activity on the platform. Arc uses USDC as its native gas asset, meaning users would not need to acquire and manage a separate network token to pay transaction fees. For traders and token issuers, that also means prices, trading and network costs can all be denominated in dollars.
Token creation on Arctic will cost 0.75 USDC plus gas. Trading fees will start at 0.8% and can be configured as high as 6%. Arctic says 75% of fees will be distributed to token creators and any community allocation established when a token launches, while the remaining 25% will go to the platform.
“Most launch platforms were built around volatile base assets. Arc gives us the opportunity to rethink that model around USDC and, over time, tokenized financial assets,” an Arctic spokesperson said. “Our objective is to give creators more flexibility in how they launch, price and grow on-chain markets, while creating a stronger liquidity foundation for their communities.”
Creators will also be able to set purchase limits during early trading, intended to reduce token sniping and give issuers greater control over initial distribution.
Bonding-curve launchpads have become a prominent part of crypto’s retail trading market, automating token issuance and initial price discovery and lowering the cost of creating new assets. The model has also drawn criticism over speculative launches, concentrated token ownership and markets that can lose liquidity quickly. Platforms such as Pump.fun have helped popularize the format.
Arctic is seeking to differentiate itself through USDC-denominated markets and permanently locked post-launch liquidity. Locking liquidity can reduce the ability of token creators to withdraw liquidity from a market after attracting buyers, but it does not eliminate other risks associated with newly issued tokens, including concentrated ownership, insider selling, smart-contract vulnerabilities or sharp declines in price.
The project also intends to expand beyond conventional crypto token launches. Arctic says its architecture is being designed to support markets paired against tokenized equities as those assets become available on Arc. That could allow users, for example, to trade newly issued crypto assets against tokenized representations of publicly listed stocks rather than only against USDC or other crypto assets. The company has not disclosed which tokenized-equity providers it expects to integrate or when such markets could become available.
At launch, Arctic says the platform will include token creation, market discovery, trading, live charts, portfolio analytics and a simulated environment where users can test strategies without deploying capital.
Arctic.fun is scheduled to open on Sept. 16, 2026. Early-access and airdrop registration are already open. The ARCTIC token is also scheduled to launch that day, with its contract address expected to be published through the project’s official channels at launch.
