Rongchai Wang
Jan 22, 2026 15:55
Brale CEO Ben Milne explains how the platform eliminates the $100M barrier to stablecoin issuance by bundling licensing, compliance, and blockchain infrastructure.
Launching a regulated stablecoin used to require roughly $100 million and years of groundwork. Brale, a Stellar (XLM)-based infrastructure provider, claims to have collapsed that barrier by packaging banking relationships, state licensing, and blockchain rails into a single platform.
The company’s pitch arrived via a conversation between Stellar Development Foundation CEO Denelle Dixon and Brale founder Ben Milne on the Block by Block podcast. Milne, who previously spent over a decade building USD transfer infrastructure at payments company Dwolla, described Brale as “a big money computer” that handles the unglamorous plumbing most fintech teams can’t afford to build.
Why Stablecoins Cost So Much
The $100 million figure isn’t arbitrary. Traditional stablecoin issuance requires money transmitter licenses across multiple jurisdictions, banking partnerships willing to custody reserves, compliance teams to satisfy regulators, and engineering resources to integrate with blockchain networks. Each piece carries seven-figure costs and multi-year timelines.
Brale centralizes these components. Companies can issue fiat-backed stablecoins on Stellar without assembling their own regulatory and technical stack. The model mirrors what Stripe did for payment processing—abstracting complexity so businesses can focus on their actual product.
Market Timing
The stablecoin sector has grown to $225 billion in dollar-denominated assets, according to recent industry data. That growth has attracted regulatory attention worldwide, with authorities developing frameworks around reserve backing, redemption rights, and anti-money laundering compliance.
Milne believes existing U.S. regulations already accommodate stablecoins adequately—a view not universally shared in Washington. But for companies unwilling to wait for clearer federal guidance, Brale offers a path through state-level licensing.
The approach carries tradeoffs. Centralized infrastructure means trusting Brale’s compliance and custody arrangements. For institutions requiring full control, building in-house remains the only option. But for mid-market players eyeing stablecoin issuance without the capital to match Circle or Tether, the math has changed.
Stellar’s network processed over $8 billion in stablecoin transactions last year, positioning it as a credible alternative to Ethereum for payment-focused use cases. Brale’s infrastructure adds another reason for traditional finance players to consider the chain.
Image source: Shutterstock
Source: https://blockchain.news/news/stellar-brale-stablecoin-issuance-cost-reduction
