TL;DR:
Coinbase and global payments firm Nium announced the launch of an integration that enables transactions in USDC and settlement in local currencies across more than 190 countries. The agreement is live for Nium’s banking, fintech and corporate clients, and was publicly announced by exchange CEO Brian Armstrong. Its goal is to move toward replacing traditional correspondent banking with stablecoin settlement.
Under the terms of the agreement, Coinbase takes on the role of stablecoin liquidity provider, wallet infrastructure and regulated custody. Nium’s clients can fund international transfers in USDC and settle in USDC or in the recipient’s local currency, without needing to maintain pre-funded accounts in each currency. Stablecoins act as a liquidity of last resort, converting to local currency only at the moment of payment.
The integration also covers card programs: companies holding USDC balances can route them through stablecoin-backed cards at hundreds of millions of points of sale worldwide. Nium operates with more than 40 global licenses and processes around $8 billion annually in payment volume. Its institutional clients include Travelex, Deel, Ebury and Bank BRI.
Stablecoin payment infrastructure is expanding exponentially. Circle, the issuer of USDC, launched in April its Circle Payments Network, a settlement product that allows institutions to move USDC across borders without managing digital assets directly. The circulating supply of USDC stands at around $70 billion as of April 2026, making it the second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization.
The partnership with Nium will expand Coinbase’s reach. The exchange had also previously signed an agreement with Stripe, which integrated USDC into its payment flows for e-commerce merchants. Stablecoin transfer volume had already surpassed that of the United States ACH network by early 2026. The next indicator to watch will be effective adoption among Nium’s institutional clients and the scheme’s ability to erode the cross-border flows that still move through bank transfers and the SWIFT system.
