Barclays acquired a stake in U.S. stablecoin settlement company Ubyx.
The investment marks the British bank's first direct capital deployment into stablecoin infrastructure, according to Reuters.
Barclays declined to disclose the investment size or valuation.
What Happened
Ubyx operates a clearing system that reconciles stablecoins from different issuers across multiple blockchains.
The platform launched in 2025 under CEO Tony McLaughlin, a former Citigroup executive with over two decades in payments.
Ubyx previously raised $10 million in seed funding from Galaxy Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Founders Fund, Paxos and VanEck.
Ryan Hayward, Barclays' head of digital assets and strategic investments, stated the bank seeks to develop "tokenised money within the regulatory perimeter."
The investment follows Barclays' October 2025 participation in a 10-bank consortium exploring a G7 currency-pegged stablecoin.
That group includes Goldman Sachs, UBS, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America, Citi, Santander, BNP Paribas, MUFG and TD Bank.
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Why It Matters
Barclays is betting on interoperability infrastructure rather than issuing its own stablecoin.
The approach allows the bank to gain blockchain payments exposure while remaining within regulatory frameworks.
Total stablecoin supply has surpassed $290 billion, with Tether's USDT) representing roughly $187 billion or 64% of the market.
Major financial institutions have announced multiple stablecoin initiatives throughout 2025 amid renewed crypto market interest.
However, most bank blockchain projects remain in early development stages.
A separate European consortium of nine banks announced plans in September to launch a MiCA-compliant euro stablecoin in the second half of 2026.
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