Thunes links Swift banks to global stablecoin wallets

Thunes has extended its stablecoin payout service to banks using Swift, allowing institutions on the network to send payments directly to stablecoin wallets through existing connectivity.

The arrangement gives access to 11,500 institutions on the Swift network and more than 500 million stablecoin wallets globally. It places stablecoins alongside traditional payout routes such as bank accounts and mobile wallets in cross-border payment flows.

Stablecoin payouts

Thunes markets the service as Pay-to-Stablecoin-Wallets. Banks can use it to send funds from a bank account to a recipient's stablecoin wallet, initiated through a single Swift message.

Thunes launched Pay-to-Stablecoin-Wallets in October 2025. The service supports USDC and USDT and is available in more than 140 countries.

The product targets use cases such as salary payments, family remittances, and business transfers. Recipients get immediate access to funds and can hold value in stablecoins rather than local currency.

The expansion comes as parts of the payments industry test how stablecoins can sit alongside existing cross-border rails. Stablecoins have grown in prominence for settlement and consumer wallets, particularly in markets where users seek US dollar-linked value.

Swift connection

Swift is widely used by banks for cross-border messaging and settlement instructions. Thunes is using Swift connectivity as an entry point for banks that want access to wallet-based payout endpoints, including stablecoin wallets, without building separate technical integrations.

Thunes already offers Pay-to-Bank and Pay-to-Wallet products via Swift. Adding stablecoin payouts extends that approach, introducing another endpoint type through the same messaging channel.

Interoperability between bank rails and digital asset networks is becoming a focus for payment providers operating across regions. At the same time, transaction monitoring and traceability for blockchain-based transfers are drawing greater attention as banks and regulated payment firms meet compliance requirements.

Network reach

Thunes runs what it calls the Direct Global Network. Members can make real-time payments in more than 140 countries and in more than 90 currencies. Thunes also lists connectivity to mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets, bank accounts, cards, and local payment methods.

The network connects directly to more than 12 billion mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets, and bank accounts worldwide, and to 15 billion cards via more than 220 payment methods. Thunes lists wallet and payment brands, including GCash, M-Pesa, Airtel, MTN, Orange, JazzCash, Easypaisa, AliPay, and WeChat Pay.

Thunes is headquartered in Singapore and has offices in 14 locations, including London, Paris, Dubai, Johannesburg, and San Francisco.

Compliance and liquidity

Thunes said its Pay-to-Wallets service is underpinned by its SmartX Treasury System, which it described as supporting fiat-to-stablecoin liquidity. It also said the service uses its Fortress Compliance Platform for security and traceability across transactions.

Stablecoin payouts raise operational questions for banks around funding, reconciliation, and controls, particularly when moving between fiat accounts and blockchain assets. Thunes is positioning its treasury and compliance systems as core components for institutions that want to add a stablecoin payout route.

Some banks and payment firms have taken a cautious approach to stablecoins, while others have explored limited use in settlements and corporate payments. Cross-border payment providers increasingly frame stablecoins as another rail, rather than a replacement for established bank and local clearing systems.

Chloé Mayenobe, Deputy CEO of Thunes, described the move as a step change in how banks can reach digital asset payout destinations from existing banking infrastructure.

"This is a defining moment for cross-border payments. By combining Swift's secure and resilient global banking infrastructure with Thunes' payout solutions, we're unlocking a new era of global money movement. Banks can now move value instantly across any rail - fiat or stablecoin - within a trusted, compliant network, using their existing Swift connection. Thunes is powering borderless, digital-first payments and advancing our vision to connect the next billion users to the global economy."

Elie Bertha, Chief Product Officer at Thunes, said banks can reach multiple payout types through the same Swift-based workflow.

"Through a single Swift message, any bank can now deliver instant payouts to all key destinations including wallets, banks and stablecoin wallets around the world, without complexity or integration barriers. It's interoperability at its best, connecting banks, wallets, and digital currencies through one simple connection. This is set to follow stablecoin's transition from innovation to mass adoption at scale, matching high customer demand and solving real life challenges faced by millions of individuals or businesses worldwide due to currency volatility and a growing need for faster payments and access to hard currencies."