Definitive dev guide to Arc: launch your token on Circle’s blockchain
The full journey of a project on Arc, from bridging USDC to launch day, with no-code tools
Your token project on Arc, from start to finish
Arc is the Layer 1 built by Circle, the company behind USDC, and this definitive dev guide to Arc pulls together everything you need to launch a token on it. You’ll find the concepts that make it different explained from scratch and, at each stage, a detailed guide with the tool that gets it done, so you can take your first steps in Arc’s ecosystem with confidence.
What does this definitive guide cover?
- Prep work: USDC on the network, your wallet and designing your tokenomics.
- Tokens on Arc: the contract you deploy and how to manage it afterwards.
- Pre-launch: holder lists and airdrops.
- Launch: pairing your token with a tokenized stock.
- Post-launch: security, privacy and listings.
Why launch a token on Arc?
For one reason that reshapes the whole plan: on Arc, gas is paid in USDC. There’s no volatile native coin, so the cost of every operation is a dollar figure that doesn’t shift between the day you estimate it and the day you actually pay it.
On top of that, Arc is EVM-compatible, so the token you deploy is a standard ERC-20, and it has long.supply available, a platform that launches tokens paired with tokenized stocks. It’s a launch model very different from the usual one, and you’ll see it in phase 4.
No-code tools for every stage of the project
On Arc, just like on any network, launching a token means interacting with smart contracts at every step. Smithii’s tools turn that interaction into forms you sign from your wallet, without writing or reviewing a single line of code.
They’re all in the Smithii suite for Arc, and since gas runs on USDC, both the tool fee and the network fee are paid in the same currency. They’re audited tools that never take custody of your funds.
1. Prep work: USDC, wallet and tokenomics
Why is the first step on Arc bringing in USDC?
Because without USDC you can’t sign any transaction on Arc, not even the first one. It’s the token that pays for gas, so an empty wallet on the network can’t deploy a contract or move anything.
The most direct route is a bridge that uses Circle CCTP, the transfer protocol from the issuer of USDC itself. That way your Arc wallet receives the USDC without paying anything on the destination side, which is exactly the problem with a freshly created wallet.
How to bridge USDC to Arc
Moving USDC to Arc is the step that unlocks everything else. Follow this guide to do it with Circle CCTP and land on the network with a balance ready to go.
Pick an EVM wallet for Arc
Any EVM-compatible wallet works, like MetaMask or Rabby, as long as you add Arc as a custom network. Your address is the same as on other EVM networks, and the only difference is that here the balance that matters is your USDC.
Why lock in tokenomics before launch?
Because the initial distribution goes public the moment you deploy, and anyone can see how much of the supply the team controls. Tokenomics let you settle those decisions, the total supply, the split and the vesting schedule, before the contract makes them public for you.
How to design tokenomics
A solid distribution plan answers every question an investor is going to ask. Build yours step by step with this guide.
2. How tokens work on Arc
What is an ERC-20 token on Circle’s network?
It’s a standard smart contract that tracks how many tokens each wallet holds and how they move around. Since Arc is EVM-compatible, your token works with the wallets and explorers you already know, and deploying it costs a fixed amount in USDC.
Creating it from a form skips the coding part entirely. You just pick the name, symbol, decimals and supply, then sign the deploy from your wallet.
How to create a token on Arc
Deployment is the moment your project actually exists on-chain. This guide walks you through the process on Arc with every field spelled out.
What can you manage on your token once it’s deployed?
Anything the contract allows, from transferring ownership to another address to renouncing it or using the features you baked in at creation, like minting or burning tokens. On Arc, the gas for those actions is paid in USDC, so you know upfront what each tweak costs.
The trickiest action is renouncing, because it reassigns the contract to the zero address with no way back. It’s a trust signal to holders once the project no longer needs changes.
How to manage a token on Arc
Managing the contract with care is just as important as deploying it. Run through every action available on Arc and when to use each one with this guide.
3. Pre-launch: holders and airdrops
What does a holders list tell you?
It shows you who holds your token or your NFT and how much, in a snapshot of the chain taken at the moment you choose. It’s the foundation for deciding who to reward and for understanding how a token is distributed, whether it’s yours or from another project.
On Arc, that list works for both tokens and NFT collections, and for collections it also includes how many pieces each wallet owns.
How to pull the holders list on Arc
Knowing your holders lets you reward the people who are actually backing the project. Learn here how to pull the list on Arc, for both tokens and NFT collections.
Why spread the token across many wallets before launching?
Because a distributed supply signals that there’s a real community behind the project, while a supply concentrated in a handful of addresses raises red flags. A airdrop sent to the holders you just identified turns that list into a real base of supporters.
On Arc, the distribution has a practical edge: gas costs are known upfront in USDC, with no surprises from the volatility of a native token.
How to run an airdrop on Arc
Distributing your token across hundreds of wallets in a single operation saves time and prevents mistakes. Learn how to do it on Arc without leaving your wallet.
Why run an airdrop
Before giving tokens away, it’s worth being clear on what you expect in return. This read gives you the arguments for planning an airdrop that actually makes sense.
4. Launch: your token paired with a tokenized stock
What does it mean to pair a token with a tokenized stock?
It means the pool for your token isn’t built with USDC or another crypto, but with the tokenized version of a stock, like NVIDIA, Tesla, or the SPY index. That’s the long.supply model, which brings tokenized stocks from Robinhood Chain onto Arc and launches every token in a locked Uniswap v3 pool.
Since liquidity is locked from the start, one of the buyer’s classic fears goes away: the creator pulling the pool. And because the launch can be bundled with your own initial buy, you get into your own token before the bots do.
What is a launch bundle?
It’s packing the launch and your initial buy, split across several wallets, into a single transaction. That way no sniper bot can slip in between the creation of the token and your entry, and the top holder doesn’t show up as the creator’s wallet.
How to bundle on Arc
Launching your token paired with a stock is a very different format from the usual. Head into the guide to see how to bundle on long.supply step by step.
How a liquidity pool works on Uniswap
Behind long.supply sits a Uniswap pool. To understand how price forms in that model, this guide is the place to start.
5. Post-launch: security, privacy and listings
What does a buyer check before aping into a token on Arc?
They check whether the contract still has mint, pause or blacklist functions, whether ownership has been renounced, and whether there’s visible liquidity in the pair. Running your own token through that same review tells you exactly what anyone landing on it will see.
Doing it with an analysis tool is the fastest way to spot what looks scary before anyone else does, and it also works for vetting any token you’re thinking of aping into.
How to check the security of a token on Arc
Reviewing the security of a token takes a minute and saves a lot of pain. See how to do it on Arc and what each result actually means.
How to spot a rug pull
Scams follow recognizable patterns. If you want to identify them and make it clear your project doesn’t follow any of them, start with this guide.
Why does privacy matter more on Arc?
Because on Arc every amount reads as exact dollars on the explorer, with no conversion involved. Supplier payments, payroll or a project’s treasury sit out in the open with the precision of a bank statement.
Circle has optional privacy in the works for the network, but it’s not live yet, so for now confidentiality has to come from an external layer.
Privacy on Arc chain
On a network where everything reads in dollars, protecting certain moves stops being optional. See what Arc exposes and how to send USDC privately.
Aggregators: the public profile of your token
CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko are where most investors check a token for the first time. A listing with price, history and official links builds credibility, and its absence gets noticed.
Both platforms review submissions one by one, so it pays to show up with the pool live and some history behind you.
How to list your token on CoinMarketCap
A listing on CoinMarketCap is one of the first things a careful investor checks. This guide walks you through how to apply and what to have ready beforehand.
How to list your token on CoinGecko
Every aggregator asks for different things, and CoinGecko is no exception. Here’s what you need to submit your token the right way.
Key takeaways from this guide
Your token on Arc, ready to launch
You now know what makes a launch on Arc different. USDC as gas and the need to bridge it in, the ERC-20 contract and how to manage it, distributing supply from a holders list, launching alongside a tokenized stock, and the security and privacy checks that follow.
Come back to this page whenever you move to a new phase, because each card takes you to the full guide for the step you’re on.
What Smithii brings to Arc
- No-code operations, start to finish.
- Fees in USDC, the same coin you use for gas.
- No sign-up, just connect your wallet.
- Audited tools and a doxxed team.
- A full suite for every phase.
- 24/7 support and step-by-step guides.
Join the Smithii Chad Crew
Follow what’s happening on Arc through our community on X, Telegram, Discord and the newsletter, where we cover every new tool the moment it drops. You’ll find the links at the bottom of the page.
