Coinbase is Going Global With Stablecoin Payments

Coinbase and global payments firm Nium have launched a stablecoin integration that enables USD Coin (USDC) payments and fiat payouts across more than 190 countries.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced the tie-up on X, framing it as a step toward replacing slow correspondent banking with stablecoin settlement. The integration is live for Nium’s banking, fintech, and enterprise clients.

How the Nium Integration Works

Under the deal, Coinbase handles stablecoin liquidity, wallet services, and regulated custody for the integration, according to a joint statement. Clients can fund cross-border transfers in USDC, then settle in either USDC or local fiat currency.

The arrangement removes the need for prefunded accounts in receiving currencies, the companies said. Stablecoins act as just-in-time liquidity, converting to local currency only when payouts settle.

The setup also covers card programs. Businesses holding USDC balances can deploy them through stablecoin-backed cards at hundreds of millions of merchant locations worldwide, the firms said.

Nium operates under more than 40 licenses globally and processes about $8 billion in annual payment volume. Its institutional client base includes Travelex, Deel, Ebury, and Bank BRI.

“The future of money movement is multi-rail. Fiat and onchain infrastructure will increasingly work together, not in isolation.”

Nium CEO Prajit Nanu made the comments in the joint announcement.

Stablecoins Move Deeper Into Mainstream Payments

The deal lands as USDC issuer Circle pushes to expand stablecoin infrastructure with banks and payment processors. Circle launched its Circle Payments Network earlier in April, a settlement product that lets institutions move USDC cross-border without handling digital assets directly.

USDC’s circulating supply sits near $70 billion as of April 2026, ranking it the second-largest stablecoin by market value. B2B stablecoin volumes have climbed from under $100 million monthly in early 2023 to roughly $3 billion by mid-2025, according to industry data.

The Nium partnership extends Coinbase’s reach beyond its earlier deal with Stripe, which integrated USDC into checkout flows. Stablecoin transfer volume had already eclipsed that of the ACH network by early 2026.

The next test will be uptake among Nium’s institutional clients and whether USDC volumes through the platform can erode the share of cross-border flows still routed through wire transfers and SWIFT.