Big funding, a senior hire from a top exchange, and record stablecoin volumes — KAST’s latest moves position it to ride a fast-growing digital-dollar wave.
Stablecoin payments startup KAST has closed an $80 million financing round as demand for fast, low-friction digital-dollar payments climbs. The round, reported to value the company at about $600 million, will be used to scale product, compliance and international expansion as KAST pushes stablecoin rails into mainstream payments.
The stablecoin firm has recently expanded its product suite with co-branded crypto card and Earn Vaults stablecoin yield product.
KAST also announced a major communications hire: former Binance global communications leader Brad Jaffe joins as Chief Communications Officer to lead brand, regulator outreach and global messaging as the startup broadens its institutional footprint.
“KAST is built for people who need money to work reliably – entrepreneurs operating internationally, professionals paid in digital assets, families sending funds across borders, or individuals looking for a more predictable way to store and use value.” Jaffe said. “The opportunity now is to turn this infrastructure into financial tools people trust and rely on.”
The hire follows aggressive recruiting: KAST says it made more than 300 hires over the past year across engineering, product and compliance, drawing talent from firms such as Circle, Stripe and Airwallex.
“The architecture of finance is shifting,” said Raagulan Pathy, Founder & CEO of KAST and former Circle executive. “Stablecoins have reached meaningful global scale, and they are increasingly embedded in how people move and store value. What matters now is building platforms that combine usability with durability – systems people can depend on as this transformation continues. Brad has led communications at global scale during pivotal moments in this industry. That perspective will help us shape the next phase of KAST’s growth.”
The company’s timing mirrors a broader market moment. Data compiled by Artemis Analytics show global stablecoin transaction volumes rose about 72% in 2025 to more than $33 trillion — a scale that exceeds the combined annual volumes of the largest credit-card networks and highlights how stable digital dollars are being used for payments, payroll, savings and cross-border settlement. That surge underlines why startups focused on stablecoin rails are suddenly attractive to investors and partners.
Venture interest in crypto is rebounding too. Industry funding data indicate overall crypto fundraising climbed roughly 50% year-on-year even as the number of deals fell, reflecting a shift toward fewer, larger rounds and concentrated bets on companies with clear product-market fit — the kind of signal KAST’s $80M round sends to the market.
