Key Takeaways
- • dtcpay closed a US$25 million Series A funding round, with Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India leading an initial tranche in April 2026 and Japan's SBI Group joining as a strategic investor through SBI Ventures Asset Pte Ltd and the SBI-NTU-Kyobo Digital Innovation Fund.
- • The Singapore-based stablecoin payments infrastructure company, founded by Alice Liu and Band Zhao, operates with regulatory licenses as a Major Payment Institution in Singapore and an Electronic Money Institution in Luxembourg, providing cross-border compliance coverage.
- • dtcpay's real-time swap engine settles transactions across stablecoin and fiat currencies, directly competing with traditional correspondent banking and SWIFT networks by eliminating multi-day settlement cycles and layered fees.
- • The company has demonstrated commercial traction through partnerships with Visa on a stablecoin-to-fiat card accepted at 150+ million merchant locations, WalletConnect integration across 700+ wallets, and enabling Metro Singapore to become the first department store in the region accepting stablecoin payments.
- • Capital deployment focuses on scaling the merchant network and product suite through 2026, including an enterprise business portal redesign and expanded consumer-facing app features.
Summary
dtcpay, a Singapore-headquartered stablecoin payment infrastructure provider, has completed a US$25 million Series A funding round, marking a significant expansion of its capital base and strategic partnerships. The funding was structured in two phases: Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India led an initial tranche in April 2026, which was subsequently extended through participation from Japan's SBI Group via its venture subsidiary and the SBI-NTU-Kyobo Digital Innovation Fund. Additional investors included Genedant Capital and returning backer Kwee Liong Tek, a Singaporean business leader.
The company, founded by Alice Liu and Band Zhao, operates as a Major Payment Institution licensed by Singapore's Monetary Authority and holds an Electronic Money Institution license in Luxembourg. This dual regulatory framework positions dtcpay to serve both Asian and European markets while maintaining compliance with local payment infrastructure standards. The regulatory foundation addresses a critical barrier to institutional adoption of stablecoin-based payments.
dtcpay's core value proposition centers on a real-time swap engine that settles transactions across stablecoin and fiat currency pairs, fundamentally disrupting the multi-day settlement cycles and fee structures inherent in SWIFT and correspondent banking networks. The platform has achieved measurable commercial traction: a point-of-sale solution integrated with WalletConnect reaches over 700 wallets, a partnership with Visa provides a stablecoin-to-fiat card usable at 150+ million merchant locations globally, and the company enabled Metro Singapore to become the first department store in the country accepting stablecoin payments.
The funding proceeds will be deployed toward expanding the merchant network and enhancing the product suite through the remainder of 2026. Planned initiatives include a redesigned business portal targeting enterprise clients and additional consumer-focused features within the mobile application. SBI Group's participation as a strategic investor signals institutional validation from a major Japanese financial services conglomerate and suggests potential pathways for distribution and partnership expansion across Asia-Pacific markets.
The company, founded by Alice Liu and Band Zhao, operates as a Major Payment Institution licensed by Singapore's Monetary Authority and holds an Electronic Money Institution license in Luxembourg. This dual regulatory framework positions dtcpay to serve both Asian and European markets while maintaining compliance with local payment infrastructure standards. The regulatory foundation addresses a critical barrier to institutional adoption of stablecoin-based payments.
dtcpay's core value proposition centers on a real-time swap engine that settles transactions across stablecoin and fiat currency pairs, fundamentally disrupting the multi-day settlement cycles and fee structures inherent in SWIFT and correspondent banking networks. The platform has achieved measurable commercial traction: a point-of-sale solution integrated with WalletConnect reaches over 700 wallets, a partnership with Visa provides a stablecoin-to-fiat card usable at 150+ million merchant locations globally, and the company enabled Metro Singapore to become the first department store in the country accepting stablecoin payments.
The funding proceeds will be deployed toward expanding the merchant network and enhancing the product suite through the remainder of 2026. Planned initiatives include a redesigned business portal targeting enterprise clients and additional consumer-focused features within the mobile application. SBI Group's participation as a strategic investor signals institutional validation from a major Japanese financial services conglomerate and suggests potential pathways for distribution and partnership expansion across Asia-Pacific markets.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.