Yellow Card Raises $40 Million to Connect Banks to Stablecoin Payment Infrastructure
Yellow Card has raised $40 million in strategic funding as the Africa-founded fintech expands infrastructure that allows banks, financial institutions and businesses to move money using stablecoins and local payment networks.
The company announced the equity funding round on August 4, 2026, naming SC Ventures, the innovation and venture arm of Standard Chartered, Sony Innovation Fund, Polychain Capital and Blockchain Capital among the participating investors.
Yellow Card said the latest investment increased its total equity financing to more than $120 million.
The company plans to use the funding to expand its Global USD Accounts product, increase its currency and local payment coverage, and strengthen its presence in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.
However, one of the most important parts of the announcement is Yellow Card’s plan to connect more traditional banks directly to stablecoin payment infrastructure.
Yellow Card Wants Banks to Use Stablecoin Rails
Yellow Card CEO and co-founder Chris Maurice said the company has spent years building infrastructure that helps global businesses move money without depending entirely on traditional correspondent banking networks.
The next opportunity, according to Maurice, is to make that infrastructure available directly to banks.
In its official funding announcement, Yellow Card said banks could use stablecoin rails to modernise international payments and improve access to dollar-based financial services for businesses that remain poorly served by conventional correspondent banking.
This does not mean Standard Chartered or every investor involved in the funding round has already connected its banking systems to Yellow Card.
SC Ventures participated as an investor. Yellow Card’s broader objective is to use the capital, investor relationships and existing technology to bring more banks, fintech companies and enterprises onto its infrastructure.
The announcement therefore outlines the company’s expansion strategy rather than confirming that all proposed banking integrations have already been completed.
How Yellow Card’s Stablecoin Infrastructure Works
Stablecoins are blockchain-based digital assets designed to maintain a relatively stable value, usually by tracking a traditional currency such as the US dollar.
A business using stablecoin payment infrastructure can convert local currency into a dollar-backed stablecoin such as USDC or USDT, transfer the stablecoin through a blockchain network and then convert it into the recipient’s preferred currency.
For example, an African importer paying an overseas supplier could deposit local currency using a bank transfer or mobile money service.
The payment provider could convert the funds into a dollar stablecoin, move the value internationally and settle the payment in dollars or another local currency at the destination.
Yellow Card says its API infrastructure allows businesses to convert local currencies into stablecoins, transfer the funds and settle them through familiar payment methods such as bank transfers and mobile money.
The stablecoin transaction can therefore happen in the background without requiring every customer to manage a crypto wallet, private key or blockchain address.
This infrastructure is intended to act as a bridge between conventional payment systems and blockchain networks.
Banks and fintech companies can integrate the technology into their own applications while continuing to give customers familiar deposit, payment and withdrawal experiences.
What the $40 Million Will Fund
A significant portion of the investment will support the expansion of Yellow Card’s Global USD Accounts.
The product is designed to help businesses hold US dollars and stablecoins, manage treasury funds, receive payments, pay suppliers and access local payment networks from a single account.
Yellow Card says its infrastructure connects businesses to payment rails in more than 50 countries. The company intends to use the new funding to add more currencies and strengthen its operations outside Africa, particularly in Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
The company also provides virtual dollar and euro accounts, local-currency wallets, stablecoin on-ramps and off-ramps, and international payment services.
Through its fiat payment infrastructure, Yellow Card allows businesses to buy and sell stablecoins using a range of major and local currencies.
Its objective is to give banks and international businesses one connection through which they can access several currencies and domestic payment systems instead of establishing separate banking and technology relationships in every market.
Why Banks May Be Interested
International bank transfers can pass through several institutions before reaching the final recipient.
A local bank may send a payment through one or more correspondent banks, foreign exchange providers and settlement systems. Each additional intermediary can increase costs, extend processing times and create more compliance checks.
Stablecoin infrastructure offers an alternative settlement layer.
The sender’s and recipient’s banks can continue accepting familiar forms of payment while a dollar-backed stablecoin is used to move value between markets. The stablecoin can then be converted back into fiat currency before the recipient receives the money.
From the customer’s perspective, the transaction may still appear to be an ordinary bank or mobile money payment. The blockchain component mainly operates behind the scenes.
Yellow Card says its API Suite can help businesses settle international invoices, distribute funds in local currencies and reduce some of the friction associated with conventional international wire transfers.
These are company claims, and the actual cost and speed of a transaction will depend on factors including the countries involved, local partners, compliance checks, blockchain fees and currency conversion rates.
Banks could also use the infrastructure to offer dollar accounts, stablecoin wallets, international supplier payments, corporate treasury services and cross-border settlement without developing every blockchain and local payment connection internally.
SC Ventures and Sony Back the Expansion
SC Ventures CEO Alex Manson said Yellow Card was building infrastructure that could help businesses across Africa access and transfer value between markets more efficiently.
His comments, included in the funding announcement, also suggested that wider stablecoin adoption would depend on reliable infrastructure and practical uses beyond cryptocurrency speculation.
The participation of SC Ventures and Sony Innovation Fund indicates that large financial and corporate investors increasingly view stablecoins as payment infrastructure rather than assets used only for crypto trading.
Polychain Capital and Blockchain Capital, two established digital asset investors, also participated in the round.
Yellow Card did not disclose its valuation or the amount contributed by each investor.
From an African Crypto App to a B2B Infrastructure Provider
Yellow Card was founded in 2016 by Chris Maurice and Justin Poiroux.
According to the company’s official history, it initially built its business by helping individuals across Africa buy, sell and transfer cryptocurrencies and stablecoins using local payment methods.
Its business model has since changed significantly.
In October 2025, Yellow Card announced that it would discontinue its retail application and focus exclusively on its business-to-business Institutional Suite.
Retail withdrawals ended on December 31, 2025, while access to the consumer application ended on January 1, 2026.
The $40 million funding round therefore supports a strategy Yellow Card was already pursuing: moving away from directly serving individual crypto traders and concentrating on infrastructure used by banks, fintech companies, payment providers and international businesses.
Instead of competing primarily as a consumer crypto exchange, Yellow Card now aims to provide technology that other companies can integrate into their own services.
This includes APIs for stablecoin conversion, local-currency collection, payouts, digital wallets, treasury management and international settlement.
Yellow Card Reports More Than $10 Billion in Transactions
Yellow Card says it has facilitated more than $10 billion in transactions across its network.
The company also reports support for more than 50 currencies and says it holds relevant licences, registrations or authorisations in 22 jurisdictions across Africa, Europe and North America.
These figures were provided in Yellow Card’s funding announcement and were not accompanied by an independent audit.
Yellow Card also named Visa and Western Union as customers using its Global USD Accounts infrastructure and highlighted broader relationships with companies including Mastercard, PayPal and Coinbase.
In May 2026, Yellow Card and Mastercard announced a partnership to explore stablecoin-enabled payment services across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The companies identified cross-border remittances, business settlement, digital loyalty programmes and treasury management as potential areas of collaboration.
These relationships position Yellow Card between traditional financial institutions and blockchain networks rather than entirely outside the established financial system.
The Funding Does Not Guarantee Immediate Bank Integrations
The $40 million investment strengthens Yellow Card’s ability to build products, establish local payment relationships and enter additional markets.
It does not guarantee that banks will adopt its infrastructure immediately.
Financial institutions often conduct lengthy legal, technical, compliance and operational reviews before connecting a new payment provider to their systems.
Stablecoin regulations also differ between countries. A product that can be offered in one jurisdiction may require a separate licence, regulatory approval or local partner in another.
Yellow Card will therefore need to combine its blockchain infrastructure with local banking relationships and country-specific regulatory approvals as it expands.
The company reports licences, registrations or authorisations in 22 jurisdictions, but that does not mean every Yellow Card product is automatically available in each country where it operates.
Still, the announcement should not be interpreted as evidence that Standard Chartered or other banks have already completed full integrations with Yellow Card.
The confirmed development is that Yellow Card has raised $40 million to expand its stablecoin and dollar-payment infrastructure. Connecting more banks to those payment rails is the next stage of its strategy.
Its success will depend on whether it can turn investor confidence into reliable banking integrations, broader regulatory coverage and payment services that are genuinely cheaper, faster and easier for businesses across Africa and other emerging markets.
