Thunes and Coinbase announced a strategic collaboration at Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas on October 19 to advance global payments. The companies said the partnership brings together their fiat and digital asset capabilities to establish unified infrastructure that can help both businesses scale and deliver smoother payment experiences worldwide, according to their announcement.
The collaboration pairs Coinbase’s stablecoin infrastructure with Thunes’ global fiat payout reach. By combining Coinbase’s range of stablecoin solutions with Thunes’ network, the companies aim to accelerate the real-world adoption of stablecoins and support cross-border money movement for enterprise supplier payments, global gig worker payouts and instant international remittances.
Under the agreement, Coinbase will integrate Thunes’ Direct Global Network into its platform, providing direct payout access to local clearing systems and alternative payment methods. Thunes will supply real-time, last-mile delivery to billions of mobile wallets and bank accounts worldwide. The companies said this will let Coinbase customers send funds across more countries and currencies, including regions with limited banking infrastructure that can be difficult to reach.
Coinbase, in turn, will provide the stablecoin infrastructure supporting Thunes through its suite of stablecoin solutions. Thunes said this will allow it to incorporate stablecoins more deeply throughout its global network and support its expansion within the digital asset ecosystem.
Chloé Mayenobe, deputy CEO at Thunes, said digital assets have become a core part of the financial ecosystem, while connections to fiat currencies and domestic financial systems remain essential to their practical use. She described Thunes as a bridge between traditional finance, mobile wallets and digital assets, and said the work with Coinbase enables seamless, fully compliant cross-border payouts worldwide.
Alec Lovett, Coinbase’s head of infrastructure products, said digital assets and stablecoins are changing how value moves around the world and that Coinbase is focused on unlocking their full potential. He identified last-mile connectivity as a key component, saying the collaboration with Thunes would enable an end-to-end payment experience with faster, smoother payouts across more countries and currencies.
Kyle Rosen, Thunes’ head of North America, said the partnership reflects the momentum the company is building as cross-border infrastructure for leading US businesses in financial services, payments, fintech and digital assets. He said Coinbase’s integration of the network demonstrates how cross-border payment infrastructure can connect digital assets with traditional finance, offering the speed, scale and reliability US businesses need for global growth.
About Coinbase
Coinbase says its mission is to increase economic freedom for more than 1 billion people by enabling fair participation in the economy through cryptocurrencies. The company describes its platform as a way for people and institutions to engage with crypto assets through trading, staking, safekeeping, spending and fast, free global transfers, updating a century-old financial system.
Coinbase also provides infrastructure for onchain activity and supports developers who share its view that onchain is the next evolution of online activity. It says it works with the crypto community to advocate for responsible rules that make cryptocurrency’s benefits available globally.
About Thunes
Thunes describes itself as the Smart Superhighway for moving money globally. The company says its proprietary Direct Global Network enables members to make real-time payments in over 140 countries and more than 90 currencies. According to Thunes, the network directly connects over 12 billion mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets and bank accounts, plus 15 billion cards, through more than 220 payment methods. These include GCash, M-Pesa, Airtel, MTN, Orange, JazzCash, Easypaisa, AliPay and WeChat Pay HK.
The company cites its global reach, in-house SmartX Treasury System and Fortress Compliance Platform as differentiators, saying they provide network members with speed, control, visibility, protection and cost efficiencies for real-time international payments. Members include Uber and Deliveroo, super-apps such as Grab and WeChat, money transfer operators, fintechs, payment service providers and banks.
Headquartered in Singapore, Thunes has offices in 14 locations, including Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Manila, Nairobi, New York, Paris, Riyadh, San Francisco and Shanghai, according to the release. Further information is available on the Thunes website.
