Canonical: https://builtonarc.app/guides/arc-in-asia-partners # Arc's Asia partners — what's actually confirmed Updated 2026-09-02. SBI Group and Sumitomo Corporation are Arc founding validators. Upbit, PhotonPay, LianLian and Hecto Financial are named ecosystem partners. > Two Asia-headquartered institutions are Arc founding validators, named in Circle's 5 August 2026 press release: SBI Group (Japan) and Sumitomo Corporation (Japan). Upbit, the South Korean exchange, is separately named in that release as enabling USDC access on Arc. Circle's own Arc ecosystem page additionally lists PhotonPay, LianLian and Hecto Financial as partners, though that page is a curated marketing listing rather than a technical confirmation, and this guide treats it accordingly. ## The founding validators: SBI Group and Sumitomo Corporation SBI Group and Sumitomo Corporation, both Japanese, are two of the eleven institutions Circle named as Arc founding validators on 5 August 2026 — a specific, technical function running consensus infrastructure for the network, distinct from a commercial partnership (see Built on Arc's [full breakdown of what validating means](/guides/why-banks-are-on-arc)). **SBI Group** — Builds on Arc: Runs validator infrastructure as one of Arc's 11 founding institutions. Role: Integrates (Banks & Enterprises), Founding validator. **Sumitomo Corporation** — Builds on Arc: Runs validator infrastructure as one of Arc's 11 founding institutions. Role: Integrates (Banks & Enterprises), Founding validator. SBI Holdings (the group's holding-company name) also appears separately in Circle's earlier 28 October 2025 public testnet launch release, among more than 100 testnet-stage participants — meaning SBI's relationship with Arc is documented across both the testnet and the founding-validator stage, the strongest continuity record among the Asia names covered here. ## Upbit: the named exchange integration Upbit, South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange, is named directly in Circle's 5 August 2026 release among "major exchanges and wallet providers" — alongside Binance Wallet, Kraken, Ledger and MetaMask — described as "enabling seamless access to USDC on Arc and supporting secure custody and crosschain movement of assets." That's a specific, sourced role: exchange-side USDC access and custody support, not a validator seat and not a stablecoin-issuance role. **Builds on Arc:** Gives Korean traders USDC access and custody support, per Circle's Aug 2026 release. **Role:** Integrates · **Category:** Exchanges & Trading → Exchanges ## Ecosystem-listed partners: PhotonPay, LianLian, Hecto Financial Circle's own Arc ecosystem page — a curated, invitation-based partner directory with no public submission path — lists three additional Asia-connected fintechs as of 2 Sep 2026. **PhotonPay**, a Singapore/Hong Kong-based global payments platform, is listed under a "Payments" tool tag, described as offering "global accounts, multi-currency cards, online payments, embedded finance." **Builds on Arc:** Ecosystem-listed payments platform offering multi-currency accounts and cards; Arc role unconfirmed. **Role:** Integrates · **Category:** Payments & Payouts. **LianLian**, a China-based cross-border payments company, is listed with the description "seamless and secure cross-border payment experience." **Builds on Arc:** Ecosystem-listed cross-border payments partner; Arc role unconfirmed. **Role:** Integrates · **Category:** Payments & Payouts. **Hecto Financial**, a South Korean fintech platform provider, is also listed on the page. **Builds on Arc:** Ecosystem-listed Korean fintech partner; Arc role unconfirmed, possibly distinct from its Circle Payments Network relationship. **Role:** Integrates · **Category:** Payments & Payouts. Being listed on Circle's ecosystem page is a genuine, sourced signal that Circle has a relationship with each company worth publicizing — but it stops short of a press release, a technical integration announcement, or documentation of what each company has actually shipped on Arc. Worth flagging specifically for Hecto Financial: some earlier reporting associated the company with Circle Payments Network, a separate Circle product distinct from the Arc blockchain itself. Its appearance on Circle's Arc ecosystem page as of 2 Sep 2026 is a real, current data point, but Built on Arc did not find a dedicated announcement clarifying whether its Arc-specific role differs from, or is in addition to, any Circle Payments Network relationship — treat the specific nature of its Arc integration as **not fully specified as of 2 Sep 2026**. ## One more testnet-stage name: Kyobo Life Kyobo Life, a South Korean insurer, appears in Circle's 28 October 2025 testnet launch release among the broader list of testnet participants. As with other names in that release, this documents testnet-stage engagement, not a founding-validator role or a specific product integration — Built on Arc found no separate, more specific announcement about Kyobo Life's Arc plans as of 2 Sep 2026. **Builds on Arc:** Named as an Arc testnet participant in Oct 2025; no confirmed product since. No role assigned — a testnet-participant listing alone does not support one. ## What's not in this guide Built on Arc reviewed but could not source a specific Arc connection, beyond general regional crypto-market commentary, for other Asia-based names sometimes associated with Arc in secondary reporting. Where a name can't be tied to a specific Circle release or Circle's own ecosystem page, it's omitted here rather than included as a maybe. Sources: - [Circle: Founding Validator Cohort and Major Integrations for Arc](https://www.circle.com/pressroom/circle-announces-founding-validator-cohort-and-major-integrations-for-arc-ahead-of-september-16-mainnet-launch) - [Circle: Arc Public Testnet launch, 28 October 2025](https://www.circle.com/pressroom/circle-launches-arc-public-testnet) - [Arc ecosystem page](https://www.arc.io/ecosystem) *Built on Arc is an independent directory. Arc is a Circle product; we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Circle.* ## Questions **Are SBI Group and Sumitomo Corporation running Arc validator nodes today?** They're named as founding validators in Circle's 5 August 2026 release, ahead of Arc's 16 September 2026 mainnet launch; Built on Arc did not independently verify live node operation beyond that naming. **Does Upbit issue or custody EURC as well as USDC?** Circle's release names USDC access specifically for Upbit; no EURC-specific role is mentioned. **Is Hecto Financial's Arc relationship the same as its Circle Payments Network relationship?** Not confirmed either way — this guide flags the ambiguity rather than resolving it, since Built on Arc found no announcement distinguishing the two. **Is being listed on Circle's Arc ecosystem page proof of a live integration?** No. It's a curated partner directory Circle controls, without a public verification layer — useful as a sourced signal, not as confirmation of a shipped product.