Circle to Acquire Nearly 1,000 Blockchain Patents From IBM

Circle announced Monday it will acquire IBM’s blockchain patent portfolio, though no financial terms of the deal were disclosed. Shares of Circle rose more than 2% in premarket trading following the news. The portfolio includes over 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide, a collection built up over years of blockchain research.

Focus on Supply Chain Technology

IBM’s blockchain work has centered heavily on supply chain applications, aiming to improve transparency as products move through multiple intermediaries before reaching consumers. The company’s patent filings peaked between 2018 and 2019, when it filed more than 500 blockchain related patents, but filing activity has slowed considerably since then, according to research from an industry analysis firm.

Circle Positions Itself as a Patent Leader

With this acquisition, Circle says it now holds the largest blockchain patent portfolio of any company in the United States. The company frames the deal as directly supporting its broader goal of building infrastructure for an internet-based financial system. A Circle executive said the move builds on IBM’s history of technological innovation while strengthening Circle’s own position in the space.