Thunes and Coinbase have announced a strategic collaboration. The alliance combines Thunes’ global fiat payout infrastructure with Coinbase’s advanced stablecoin infrastructure.
This is expected to enable both platforms to enter new markets and serve corporate clients, gig economy workers, and individual users.
The partnership creates a unified infrastructure for scaling and delivering seamless payment solutions worldwide. Coinbase will provide stablecoin infrastructure for Thunes, while Thunes will extend global fiat reach for Coinbase customers. The joint effort aims to accelerate the real-world adoption of stablecoins.
Combining Coinbase’s broad suite of stablecoin solutions with Thunes’ network unlocks seamless cross-border money movement. This covers enterprise supplier payments, global gig worker payouts, and instant international remittances.
Under the agreement, Coinbase will integrate Thunes’ Direct Global Network into its platform. This will provide direct access to local clearing systems and alternative payment methods. Thunes will deliver real-time, “last-mile” connectivity to billions of mobile wallets and bank accounts worldwide. Coinbase customers will be able to send funds across more countries and currencies, including hard-to-reach regions with limited banking infrastructure.
Coinbase will power Thunes’ stablecoin infrastructure through its suite of stablecoin solutions. This allows Thunes to integrate stablecoins more deeply across its global network and support the company’s expansion within the digital asset ecosystem.
“Digital assets have become a core part of our financial ecosystem, but connecting digital currencies to fiat and local domestic financial systems remains essential for real-world utility. Thunes serves as the crucial bridge connecting traditional finance, mobile wallets, and digital assets. Together with Coinbase, we are enabling seamless fully compliant cross-border payouts, anywhere in the world,” said Chloé Mayenobe, Deputy CEO at Thunes.
“Digital assets and stablecoins are revolutionizing how value moves worldwide, and at Coinbase we are focused on unlocking their full potential. Last-mile connectivity is a key part of this, and working alongside Thunes allows us to deliver an end-to-end payment experience that offers faster, friction-free payouts across more countries and currencies than ever before. This is said by Alec Lovett, Head of Infrastructure Products at Coinbase.
“Our collaboration with Coinbase reflects the massive momentum Thunes is building as the cross-border infrastructure of choice for leading US businesses across financial services, payments, fintech, and digital assets. As Coinbase integrates our global network to power payouts for its users, we’re demonstrating how seamless cross-border rails can connect digital assets to traditional finance. Together, we’re delivering the speed, scale, and reliability U.S. businesses need to power global growth,” said Kyle Rosen, Head of North America at Thunes.
Thunes positions itself as the “Smart Superhighway” for moving money around the world. Its Direct Global Network enables members to make payments in real time in more than 140 countries and over 90 currencies.
The network links directly with over 12 billion mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets, and bank accounts, in addition to 15 billion cards through 220 different payment processors (among other methods including GCash, M-Pesa, Airtel, MTN, Orange, JazzCash, Easypaisa, AliPay, WeChat Pay HK, and others).
The company is headquartered in Singapore, with offices in 14 locations, including Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Manila, Nairobi, New York, Paris, Riyadh, San Francisco, and Shanghai.
Network members include gig economy giants such as Uber and Deliveroo, super-apps like Grab and WeChat, money transfer operators, fintechs, PSPs, and banks.
Coinbase states its mission is to increase economic freedom for well over one billion people by providing a platform for trading, staking, safekeeping, spending, and fast global transfers of crypto assets, as well as infrastructure for onchain activity.
The partnership was announced at Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas and is aimed at further bridging traditional financial systems and digital assets.
