Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL) shares rose 2.8% in premarket trading Monday after the stablecoin issuer announced it has acquired a significant portion of IBM’s blockchain patent portfolio, strengthening its intellectual property position in digital finance. IBM (NYSE: IBM) shares gained 1.6%.
The acquisition includes more than 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide, covering blockchain technologies used in banking, financial services, insurance, enterprise infrastructure, supply chain verification and secure cloud operations.
Circle said the transaction will bolster the technology foundation behind its expanding suite of digital financial products, including USDC, the Circle Payments Network, Arc, and other onchain financial services designed to support the emerging internet-based financial system.
The companies also said they intend to explore additional commercial opportunities following the transaction.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“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, Circle’s general counsel and corporate secretary.
The deal underscores Circle’s continued investment in blockchain infrastructure as it seeks to expand its role in digital payments, tokenized assets and decentralized financial services.