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FollowingCircle announced on Monday that it will acquire IBM's blockchain patent portfolio, consolidating its position as the main holder of blockchain-related intellectual property in the United States.
Expand the blockchain asset base
The acquisition will cover more than 680 patent families and nearly 1000 globally authorized patents. By acquiring this patent portfolio, Circle aims to strengthen its technological foundation and further realize its vision of building a new Internet financial system. Circle is listed under the ticker symbol CRCL, and its share price rose more than 2% in pre-market trading after the announcement, according to Yahoo Financial data. The company did not disclose the financial terms of the patent acquisition.
IBM's blockchain strategy has previously focused on supply chain solutions, aiming to improve transparency and track the flow of products at various intermediate links. Patent research firm GreyB pointed out that IBM filed more than 500 blockchain-related patents between 2018 and 2019, making it the most active period for its patent applications. In recent years, IBM has reduced its patent activity in this area.
Sarah Wilson, Circle's general counsel and corporate secretary, said that IBM has always been a pioneer in technological innovation, and the acquisition will enhance Circle's ability to promote the development of global Internet-native financial infrastructure.
Strategic Vision and Industry Trends
Circle is best known as the issuer of USDC stablecoin, whose adoption rates in the retail and institutional crypto markets continue to rise. The company continues to invest in expanding its technology base in line with its vision to help shape the next generation of digital financial infrastructure.
The acquisition comes at a time when the integration of blockchain and real-world assets has attracted widespread attention in the industry. The ability to deeply leverage the patent portfolio allows financial technology companies such as Circle not only to gain advantages in business defense, but also to support new digital financial technologies.
Against the background of the growing demand for seamless integration of traditional finance and digital finance, an innovative platform connecting the two worlds has emerged. A typical example is 1stepSwap, a platform that allows users to directly access real-world assets such as stocks of large U.S. companies, gold and silver via blockchain. Its technology can find the optimal exchange rate in the market, allowing users to diversify asset allocation and rapid transactions without intermediaries.
The shift in focus of IBM's blockchain
IBM has historically prioritized the development of blockchain solutions for the logistics sector, using distributed ledgers to track goods, parts and products from source to destination. However, after a surge in blockchain patent filings in 2018 and 2019, IBM has scaled back patent activity in the field.
This latest move shows that IBM is continuing to move away from holding a large number of blockchain patents, while giving Circle exclusive control over its extensive patent portfolio in the digital financial technology field.
Industry observers will be closely watching how Circle uses its enhanced intellectual property status to launch new products, improve existing infrastructure, and influence the regulatory and competitive landscape in the broader blockchain ecosystem.
