Extended, a decentralized perpetuals exchange, will migrate its settlement layer from Starknet to Arc, the Layer 1 blockchain developed by Circle, starting on October 22, 2026, at 13:00 UTC.
What changes, and what doesn't
Trading will run without interruption throughout the migration, according to Extended. Deposits and withdrawals will pause for up to two hours while the move takes place.
Most users are not required to take any action. The exchange expects the majority of participants to have balances and positions intact after the migration.
USDT and wBTC will not be supported on Arc. Users holding either asset have until October 21, 2026, to either convert USDT into USDC and wBTC into cirBTC at a 1:1 ratio, or withdraw. The conversion terms also include a 0.50% premium. Traders with meaningful USDT or wBTC balances should verify how that premium applies to their holdings before the cutoff.
ETH balances will be automatically converted to wETH at a 1:1 ratio, with no action required from holders.
Why Arc, and why now
Arc is Circle's own blockchain, and its mainnet launched on September 16, 2026, with a founding validator set that includes BlackRock and Visa.
Extended's stated goals for the move include faster performance through sub-second finality and stablecoin-denominated transaction fees. The exchange has framed the migration as a way to build deeper connections with institutional investors, with predictable fees part of that appeal.
USDC is Circle's flagship stablecoin, so shifting stablecoin balances from USDT to USDC aligns the exchange with its new host chain's native ecosystem.
The scale of the move
Extended holds approximately $117.7 million in total value locked, most of it on Starknet. Moving a nine-figure pool from one settlement layer to another while keeping the order book live is a meaningful operational test.
What this means for traders and the broader market
For Extended's users, the near-term to-do list is short but non-negotiable. Anyone holding USDT or wBTC needs to convert or withdraw by October 21, 2026, and should plan around the two-hour deposit and withdrawal pause starting October 22 at 13:00 UTC.
For Arc, landing an established perpetuals exchange within weeks of mainnet is a useful early signal. A derivatives venue bringing approximately $117.7 million in TVL gives Arc a working, high-throughput use case to point to.
There is also a concentration question. Moving onto a chain built by a single stablecoin issuer, with USDC as the default dollar asset, ties Extended more closely to Circle's ecosystem.
