Nubank has entered the US market, rolling out a suite of deposit products through a sponsor bank and struck partnership with Sygnum for crypto accounts.
The Brazilian digital banking group officially entered the U.S. market. There, it will offer clients yield-bearing Nu Account for savings, Nu Credit Card with cashback offering, and daily banking services. The deposits will be held by Nu’s local partner FDIC-insured Lead Bank. Brazilian challenger doesn’t have a separate banking branch established in the U.S.
At the same time, Nu did apply for a national bank charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency las year. In January 2026, the bank got conditional approval. Once it gets a full license, the operation conditions might change for Nu in this competitive market. The institution has up to 18 months from the conditional approval to fully transition into its own independent U.S. chartered bank.
“We want to earn the place of being people’s primary banking relationship, and capturing even a small share of the U.S. market will be transformative for our business.”
Cristina Junqueira, Co-Founder and CEO of Nu US
Separately, Nubank has entered a strategic alliance with Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum. The partnership will support the launch of a digital asset account under Nu Global, Nubank’s international money management platform. David Vélez, Founder and CEO of Nu describes it as a “product that brings the Nu experience into international money management, with the simplicity and efficiency of technology put in favor of customers at a global scale”.
The solution is based on blockchain technology rails. It offers a multi-currency digital account, where funds will be converted into digital dollar (USDC) or digital euro (EURC) stablecoins. The accounts will also bring their holders yield.
Availability of such benefits for US customers is questionable in the long term, though. At present, United States federal law explicitly bans payment stablecoin issuers from paying direct interest or yield to token holders. Though such rewards are now legally offered by third-party platforms, traditional banking groups argue they pull critical deposits away from local community banks. Thus, proposed Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act attempts to tighten rules around reward-bearing tokens and address potential bank deposit flight. Law makers and industry representatives are still struggling to find compromise on that point.
This Tuesday, U.S. Senate voted to block the Clarity Act from advancing. The bill failed to clear the required 60-vote threshold to advance to a final debate. Any further action on the bill is postponed without know deadlines. Most likely, the regulators will push the decision into next year.
Nubank already serves more than 140 million customers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. The two new moves extend the company’s reach beyond its core Latin American markets into both traditional US banking and regulated digital asset services.
“While we remain fully focused on our core markets in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, this step allows us to build the next generation of banking in the United States.”
David Vélez, founder and CEO of Nu Holdings
