Coinbase is partnering with Thunes to connect stablecoin transfers with payouts to billions of bank accounts and mobile wallets. The agreement would expand access to local payment systems, including in regions with limited banking infrastructure.
Key Takeaways
- The partnership targets supplier payments, worker earnings, and remittances.
- Thunes’ network spans over 140 countries and more than 90 currencies.
- Recipients could receive payouts in bank accounts or mobile wallets.
Coinbase Targets Billions of Bank Accounts and Mobile Wallets
Businesses and consumers could gain broader access to cross-border payouts through a new agreement between crypto exchange Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN) and Singapore-based payments network Thunes. The Coinbase-Thunes payments agreement was announced Oct. 19 at Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas.
Under the agreement, Coinbase will integrate Thunes’ Direct Global Network, gaining payout access to local clearing systems and alternative payment methods.
Thunes will handle “last-mile” delivery, the final step of getting funds into recipients’ bank accounts and mobile wallets, in real time, including in regions with limited banking infrastructure. Alec Lovett, head of infrastructure products at Coinbase, said:
“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.”
Thunes Uses Coinbase Technology to Expand Digital Asset Services
In return for that international reach, Coinbase will supply stablecoin infrastructure to help Thunes incorporate the tokens more deeply into its operations. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to track an external reference, often the U.S. dollar, allowing users to transfer value through blockchain networks.
The companies intend to use these capabilities for paying overseas suppliers, distributing gig worker earnings, and sending international remittances. Stablecoins can support cross-border transfers and settlement, while Thunes provides access to the local financial systems recipients use.
Thunes describes its broader network as connecting more than 12 billion mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets, and bank accounts. The company also lists more than 220 payment methods, including M-Pesa, a mobile money service used in Kenya; Gcash, a Philippines mobile wallet; and Wechat Pay HK, a Hong Kong-dollar wallet.
Stablecoin Partnerships Reach Banks and Payment Providers
The Thunes agreement follows Coinbase’s Sept. 28 expansion of its collaboration with Citi. Corporate customers can accept stablecoins without handling the tokens directly: Coinbase converts incoming digital currency into traditional money, and Citi settles the funds.
A similar approach underlies Coinbase’s Sept. 10 stablecoin payments partnership with Moov. The planned integration would let more than 1,000 community banks and credit unions offer merchant acceptance, custody, disbursements, and real-time funding through their existing technology.
Thunes’ own expansion includes its Mastercard Move collaboration announced Nov. 13, 2025. The agreement calls for incorporating Thunes’ Pay-to-Stablecoin-Wallets solution, giving banks and payment providers another destination for transfers alongside bank accounts, cards, and cash.
Banks on the Swift network gained access to the same Pay-to-Stablecoin-Wallets service on March 17, when Thunes began offering it through its existing Swift connections. The company said the 11,500 institutions on Swift can now send real-time payments in USDC or USDT to more than 500 million stablecoin wallets, without additional integration.