Circle gives its Bitcoin-backed token one balance across Ethereum and Arc

Circle added its Bitcoin-backed token, cirBTC, to Gateway on Oct. 23, letting holders use one deposited balance across the Ethereum and Arc blockchains. Gateway treats deposits across supported networks as a single spendable balance per asset, reducing the need to keep funds ready on both chains, according to Circle’s announcement.

The expansion also adds the EURC stablecoin alongside USDC. Circle’s asset-specific documentation lists cirBTC on Ethereum and Arc mainnet. EURC is supported on those networks plus Avalanche, Base, Solana and World Chain.

Gateway keeps a separate balance for each asset. A cirBTC transfer burns the token on the source network and mints cirBTC on the destination; it neither converts the balance into USDC nor transfers native Bitcoin. For an exchange or wallet serving both chains, Circle says the shared inventory can be deployed where a withdrawal or payment needs to land.

Fast access follows deposit finality

Circle advertises cross-chain access in under 500 milliseconds once the deposit has finalized and the balance is established. That estimate excludes the initial funding wait and is not guaranteed. Its confirmation table lists an average of roughly 13 to 19 minutes for an Ethereum deposit before Gateway updates the balance or issues an attestation.

A separate seven-day withdrawal option lets holders reclaim funds directly from the Gateway Wallet contract without relying on Circle’s API. Circle’s asset documentation explicitly extends that withdrawal delay to cirBTC. It is a fallback exit, rather than the ordinary transfer time between Ethereum and Arc.

CryptoSlate’s August 2025 Gateway report also describes API-independent recovery after seven days.

Circle says cirBTC is backed one-for-one by native Bitcoin held at a regulated entity in its corporate group, with the BTC segregated from corporate assets for holders.

Gateway integration is described as permissionless, with no sign-up required. Access to cirBTC through Circle Mint, however, is offered to qualified businesses. Withdrawing cirBTC from Gateway leaves the holder with the token; redeeming it for native Bitcoin uses a separate Mint process in which Circle burns cirBTC and releases BTC to a Bitcoin address.

Costs also depend on the operation. Circle’s announcement says Gateway fees for cirBTC and EURC are waived on Arc at launch and quotes a one-basis-point rate outside Arc. Those rates are not an all-in transfer cost: Circle’s fee documentation lists gas and optional forwarding charges too. cirBTC transfer costs are paid in cirBTC.