Coinbase expands fiat rails with Standard Chartered to speed institutional funding worldwide Coinbase has deepened its partnership with Standard Chartered to give institutional clients faster, multi-currency fiat funding across key global markets. The integration adds new local rails for the Australian dollar (AUD), Singapore dollar (SGD), Canadian dollar (CAD) and Swiss franc (CHF), and introduces GSIB-backed settlement for euros (EUR) and British pounds (GBP). The service is available on Coinbase Prime and Coinbase Exchange (note: Prime Trading clients in the EU are not covered at launch). Why it matters - Institutions increasingly trade across spot, derivatives and financing desks in multiple regions and currencies. That growth has made currency movement, conversion costs and funding speed a bigger operational challenge for exchanges, asset managers and trading desks. - By enabling direct local funding in more currencies, Coinbase says clients can run global books without forcing all positions through a single base currency, reduce FX conversion fees, fund positions more quickly, and rebalance capital across regions with fewer frictions. - The EUR and GBP settlement is backed by a global systemically important bank (GSIB), which adds a layer of institutional-grade settlement security for major European currencies. Coinbase framed the expansion as part of a broader push to modernize financial infrastructure: “The direction is clear. A system where capital is not constrained by geography, banking hours, or legacy infrastructure,” the company said. Retail push: Direct Deposit relaunched in the U.S. Separately, Coinbase relaunched Direct Deposit for U.S. customers on May 26. The feature lets users route part of their paychecks to a Coinbase account and automatically allocate earnings into cash, USDC or other crypto assets with zero trading fees. Users set up account and routing details in the app, share them with their employer, and choose automatic allocation rules. Coinbase plans to expand Direct Deposit to more regions later in the year and positions the feature as part of its strategy to turn the app into a broader financial hub connecting income, investing, saving and trading. Market context The Standard Chartered deal sits alongside a wider industry drive to build regulated fiat and stablecoin payment rails. Recent moves include Circle, Coinbase and Ripple backing Tazapay’s $36 million raise, and Rain adding Mastercard support—both examples of firms working to link on-chain settlement and stablecoins with existing payment networks. Coinbase has also been bullish on stablecoins: the company previously claimed stablecoins settled $33 trillion in 2025, compared with Visa’s $16.7 trillion payment volume for fiscal 2025, arguing stablecoins offer faster, lower-cost “internet money” versus legacy rails. Bottom line By widening fiat rails with a major global bank, Coinbase aims to reduce cross-border funding frictions for institutional clients and speed the flow of capital across currencies. The move underscores broader industry momentum toward integrating traditional payments infrastructure with stablecoin and crypto settlement. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news