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Arc gives you deterministic, sub-second finality for every transaction. Once a block is committed, any transaction in that block is instantly and irreversibly final. This removes the uncertainty you may encounter on chains that rely on probabilistic finality.

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Why deterministic finality matters

On proof-of-work or many proof-of-stake chains, transactions are considered final only after multiple confirmations. Even then, there’s a risk of chain reorganizations that can undo recent blocks and transactions therein. With Arc:
  • A transaction is either unconfirmed or final.
  • There’s no “probably final” state.
  • Once final, the transaction cannot be reversed.
This certainty allows you to build applications that demand high assurance, especially where financial risk must be minimized and operational standards are strict.

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Sub-second confirmation

Arc’s consensus engine, Malachite, is a high-performance BFT implementation. It finalizes blocks in less than one second. This speed means you can:
  • Process point-of-sale payments without waiting minutes for confirmation.
  • Support cross-border transfers that settle instantly.
  • Enable institutional trades and clearing with immediate certainty.

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Developer benefits

Deterministic finality changes how you design financial applications:
  • You don’t need to build retry or rollback logic for reorgs.
  • You can trigger offchain effects immediately after a block is committed.
  • You can meet enterprise-grade requirements for settlement assurance.