Extended, a decentralized perpetuals exchange, began moving its settlement layer from Starknet to Arc, the Layer 1 blockchain developed by Circle, on October 22, 2026. The Extended Arc migration started at 13:00 UTC, according to Crypto Briefing.
The shift matters because the platform carries roughly $117.7 million in total value locked, the bulk of it sitting on Starknet, and the exchange says trading will run without interruption throughout the move. For Arc, whose mainnet went live only weeks earlier, landing an established derivatives venue is an early test of its capacity to host high-throughput financial applications.
The migration relocates the infrastructure that settles trades on the exchange while leaving the trading experience itself intact, according to the report. That combination of a live order book and a changing settlement layer is what makes the October 22 switch notable for both the platform's users and its new host chain.
How the Extended Arc migration works
Extended says trading will keep running through the switch, with no interruption to the order book. Deposits and withdrawals, however, will pause for up to two hours while the Extended Arc migration takes place, Crypto Briefing reported.
The exchange expects the majority of participants to come through the migration with balances intact and positions untouched. For most users, no action is required: balances unaffected by the asset changes are set to be shifted into wETH on a one-for-one basis automatically, and holders do not need to complete any paperwork for that to happen.
The near-term to-do list for users is short but non-negotiable, according to the report. Anyone planning to move funds on or off the platform should plan around the two-hour deposit and withdrawal pause that began at 13:00 UTC on October 22, since transfers in either direction will not be processed during that window.
Once the pause lifts, the migration is designed to leave the typical trader in the same position as before, with the settlement layer underneath changed. The exchange's expectation is that most accounts will carry their balances and open positions across the transition without disruption, according to Crypto Briefing.
Deadline for USDT and wBTC holders
USDT and wBTC will not be supported on Arc, which creates a hard deadline for holders of either asset. Users holding USDT or wBTC had until October 21, 2026, the day before the migration, to act.
Those users were given two paths. They could swap their USDT for USDC and their wBTC for cirBTC on a one-for-one basis, or they could pull the assets off the platform entirely. The conversion terms also include a 0.50% premium.
Traders holding meaningful USDT or wBTC balances were advised to check exactly how that premium applies to their holdings before the cutoff, according to Crypto Briefing. The cost of converting could vary depending on the size of the balance, making the calculation worth doing ahead of the deadline rather than after.
The cutoff date of October 21 was set one day ahead of the migration itself, giving the exchange a clean break between the asset transition and the settlement switch. Users who missed that window faced the consequences of holding assets that the new chain does not recognize.
Why Extended chose Circle's Arc
According to the exchange, the goals behind the move center on quicker performance, delivered through finality of less than a second, and on transaction fees denominated in stablecoins. Extended has also presented the migration as a route to deeper ties with institutional investors, and the predictability of those fees is part of what it believes will appeal to that audience.
Arc is Circle's own blockchain. The network's mainnet went live on September 16, 2026, and the group of founding validators named at launch includes BlackRock and Visa, according to Crypto Briefing.
The asset changes align the exchange with its new host chain. Because USDC is the flagship stablecoin issued by Circle, moving stablecoin balances out of USDT and into USDC fits Arc's native ecosystem. By settling on a network operated by one stablecoin issuer, where USDC serves as the standard dollar asset, Extended ends up more tightly bound to Circle's ecosystem than it was on Starknet.
That closer relationship cuts both ways. The exchange gains the performance and fee structure it says it wants, but it also places its settlement infrastructure within an ecosystem defined by a single issuer's product, a degree of alignment it did not have before the move.
What the move means for Arc
For Arc, securing an established perpetuals exchange only weeks after its mainnet debut amounts to a helpful early indicator of traction. A derivatives platform arriving with roughly $117.7 million in total value locked hands the young network a functioning, high-throughput use case it can point to as evidence of demand.
For Extended, the operational challenge is substantial. Relocating a nine-figure pool between settlement layers while the order book stays live amounts to a meaningful test of the exchange's infrastructure and of Arc's readiness to support it.
The outcome will be watched as a measure of whether a chain backed by a major stablecoin issuer, and validated at launch by firms such as BlackRock and Visa, can absorb real derivatives flow without incident. A smooth transition would give Arc a working reference case; any disruption would fall on an exchange whose users were told their positions would be untouched.
Conclusion
The Extended Arc migration began on October 22, 2026, at 13:00 UTC, moving settlement off Starknet while keeping trading live and pausing deposits and withdrawals for up to two hours. The exchange brings roughly $117.7 million in total value locked to a chain whose mainnet launched on September 16 with BlackRock and Visa among its founding validators. The immediate next step for users holding USDT or wBTC was to convert or withdraw by the October 21 deadline, since neither asset is supported on Arc.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Extended migrate from Starknet to Arc?
The migration began on October 22, 2026, at 13:00 UTC. Extended said trading would run without interruption, though deposits and withdrawals paused for up to two hours during the move.
What happens to USDT and wBTC on Extended after the Arc migration?
USDT and wBTC are not supported on Arc. Holders had until October 21, 2026, to swap USDT for USDC and wBTC for cirBTC on a one-for-one basis, with a 0.50% premium, or to withdraw the assets from the platform.
How much total value locked does Extended bring to Arc?
Extended carries roughly $117.7 million in total value locked, with the bulk of it previously sitting on Starknet. The migration gives Arc a working, high-throughput derivatives use case within weeks of its mainnet debut.
What is Circle's Arc blockchain?
Arc is a Layer 1 blockchain developed by Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin. The network's mainnet went live on September 16, 2026, and BlackRock and Visa were named among its founding validators.
Why is Extended moving its settlement layer to Arc?
Extended cites faster performance through sub-second finality and stablecoin-denominated transaction fees. It has also framed the move as a way to build deeper connections with institutional investors, drawn in part by predictable fees.
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