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UK bank has now become a stakeholder in Ubyx, a US startup creating clearing infrastructure for digital currencies.
The financial world is buzzing after one of the UK’s biggest banks took an unprecedented leap into the stablecoin sector.
Barclays has now become a stakeholder in Ubyx, a US fintech startup creating clearing infrastructure for digital currencies. This marks the bank’s first direct investment in stablecoin technology, signaling a dramatic shift in traditional banking’s approach to digital assets.
The bank and Ubyx are committed to developing tokenized money within existing regulatory frameworks, suggesting this isn’t another experimental crypto play—it’s a calculated bet on the future of money itself.
Ubyx is building the infrastructure that could make stablecoins as easy to use as traditional bank deposits. Tony McLaughlin’s venture operates a global clearing system that connects different stablecoin issuers with traditional financial institutions, essentially creating the plumbing that allows tokenized money to move between blockchain networks and traditional bank accounts.
Seven months ago, Ubyx raised $10 million in seed funding from Galaxy Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and others. Since that funding round, Ubyx has signed partnerships with several issuers, including Ripple, Paxos, Transfero, and Monerium, positioning itself as a bridge between the crypto and traditional finance worlds.
This part of the fintech sector is doing well. Stablecoin transaction volumes reached nearly $3 trillion monthly by summer 2025—almost double the levels from a year earlier. Yet fragmentation remains the industry’s biggest obstacle to mainstream adoption.
Barclays’ move comes at a time when traditional banks including UBS, PostFinance, and Sygnum Bank are aggressively building blockchain-based payment systems that comply with financial regulations. The investment demonstrates growing institutional confidence in tokenized money solutions, despite Barclays forecasting a challenging year for crypto markets three weeks ago.
This apparent contradiction reveals something profound about where the industry is headed. While Barclays may be bearish on speculative crypto trading, they’re clearly bullish on the underlying infrastructure that could power tomorrow’s payments. Ryan Hayward, Barclays’ Head of Digital Assets, emphasized that “interoperability is essential to unlock the full potential of digital assets”—a statement that goes far beyond typical crypto enthusiasm.
Consider this: stablecoins now process more transaction volume than Visa and Mastercard combined, yet most businesses still can’t accept them as easily as credit cards. That’s exactly the problem Ubyx is solving.
The implications stretch far beyond faster payments. Experts predict stablecoin issuance could reach $4 trillion by 2030, supporting nearly $100 trillion in annual transaction activity. With Barclays—a bank with over 330 years of history—leading the charge alongside major players like JPMorgan, Bank of America, and Citigroup who are all developing their own tokenized money solutions, that future might arrive sooner than anyone expected.
The $1.6 trillion financial powerhouse Morgan Stanley has filed papers to launch Bitcoin and Solana ETFs, creating interest in both traditional finance and crypto markets.
