Ripple XRP News: Circle Arc Launch Puts SBI’s Dual-Rail Strategy in Focus

Circle opened the public mainnet for Arc, its USDC-centered Layer 1 blockchain, on September 16, 2026, with 11 founding validators drawn almost entirely from traditional finance, creating a talking point about the firms involvement with Ripple XRP.

Among them: SBI Group, which has held roughly 9% of Ripple since 2016 and is described as Ripple’s largest external shareholder, according to the primary reporting on the launch. SBI CEO Yoshitaka Kitao has put the value of that stake near $4Bn.

BOJ INSIDER CALLED IT A YEAR AGO — ARC GOES LIVE AND RIPPLE SITS DOWN WITH CIRCLE THE SAME WEEK!

Last Year @yutokanzakireal posted that Japan and the United States were quietly lining up trusted financial institutions on top of Ripple, Arc, and other rails for payments,… https://t.co/DLPCCRDrA5 pic.twitter.com/WfcPbpdd5S — Pumpius (@pumpius) September 16, 2026 That places SBI in an odd spot.