Barclays has made a significant move into the stablecoin sector by acquiring an equity stake in Ubyx, a US-based company specializing in stablecoin settlements. This investment represents Barclays” inaugural foray into the stablecoin space, highlighting a growing interest in digital currencies.
Details regarding the size of the investment and Ubyx”s overall valuation remain undisclosed. Barclays emphasizes that this deal is part of its efforts to explore “new forms of digital money,” with a particular focus on stablecoins, which are designed to maintain a stable value relative to traditional currencies.
Ubyx operates a clearing system specifically for stablecoins, facilitating the reconciliation of tokens issued by various entities, thereby treating them as interchangeable cash equivalents. This innovative platform enables regulated banks and fintech companies to redeem supported stablecoins at face value into existing accounts, serving as a crucial link between the crypto world and traditional finance.
The company successfully raised $10 million in seed funding in 2025, backed by prominent investors such as Galaxy Ventures, Founders Fund, Coinbase Ventures, VanEck, and Paxos. Ubyx aims to create a global network for stablecoins, addressing the issue of fragmentation within the market that necessitates each issuer to establish unique distribution channels.
Targeting corporate and financial institutions that require stablecoins for payments or treasury management, Ubyx”s model focuses on offering predictable redemption values and clear accounting treatment. By standardizing redemption processes and implementing rule-based clearing, the platform aspires to unify various fiat-backed tokens into a single settlement layer across different chains and currencies.
The significance of this deal extends beyond Barclays” investment. Both Barclays and Ubyx are committed to advancing “tokenized money within the regulatory perimeter,” aligning their operations with bank-level compliance standards for anti-money laundering (AML) and sanctions screening. Notably, Barclays has previously joined a consortium of banks working on a jointly issued stablecoin pegged to G7 currencies, and its stake in Ubyx further strengthens its infrastructure for digital settlement assets.
Earlier investors in Ubyx, including those from the crypto and payments sectors, have positioned it as a bridge between stablecoin liquidity and traditional banking systems. The addition of Barclays, a major UK banking institution, to Ubyx”s investor roster underscores the increasing institutional interest in stablecoin infrastructure, moving beyond mere trading or issuance.
