Singapore Gulf Bank expands SGB Net with regulated stablecoin settlement platform for institutions

Singapore Gulf Bank is expanding its flagship SGB Net infrastructure to create a regulated environment that unites fiat payments and stablecoin settlement for institutional clients.

Singapore Gulf Bank unveils regulated fiat and stablecoin network

From Manama, Bahrain, on Monday, 2 February, Singapore Gulf Bank (SGB) announced a first-of-its-kind, bank-operated network for the GCC and Asia that brings USD payments and stablecoins together on a single regulated platform. Backed by Whampoa Group and Mumtalakat, the fully licensed bank aims to deliver near real-time settlement and streamlined treasury workflows.

This new network is an evolution of the existing SGB Net real-time clearing system. Currently, the bank processes in excess of USD 2 billion in monthly fiat transaction volume through the platform, which has been growing at an average month-on-month rate of 92.64%. Moreover, the upgrade extends this real-time, multi-currency clearing capability into the stablecoin space.

By integrating digital asset rails into a regulated banking environment, the bank is targeting institutional users that need faster settlement and more efficient liquidity management. However, SGB also emphasizes that the launch is designed to maintain bank-grade compliance and risk controls across all supported assets.

Stablecoin functionality across leading blockchains

The new stablecoin layer will allow clients to mint, convert, hold and trade leading tokens, including USDC and USDT. These stablecoins will be supported on major blockchains such as Solana, Ethereum and Arbitrum, and will be accessible to participants across the upgraded SGB Net network.

By consolidating these capabilities in one regulated banking platform, Singapore Gulf Bank seeks to remove the operational fragmentation that often characterizes digital asset workflows. That said, the institution is not positioning this as a retail product, but as infrastructure for professional and corporate clients that need unified access to both fiat and tokenized liquidity.

The bank expects the unified setup to simplify payments, cross-border liquidity operations and treasury management, particularly for entities that already operate across multiple blockchains and currencies. Moreover, institutional users will no longer need to maintain separate relationships with unregulated venues for stablecoin operations.

SGB Net upgrade aims to make the bank a digital asset hub

Shawn Chan, Chief Executive Officer of SGB, framed the new development as part of a broader strategic vision. “Our ambition is to become the one bank for all of finance,” he said, underscoring the goal of making the institution a central hub for both traditional and digital markets.

Chan highlighted that stablecoins have effectively become the working capital of the digital asset economy, yet operational complexity remains high for many institutional users. This upgrade to sgb net is intended to position the bank as the default venue for managing fiat balances and multiple stablecoins within a single, regulated infrastructure. However, SGB also wants to ensure that speed and flexibility do not come at the expense of regulatory compliance.

The platform will provide real-time settlements between fiat balances and supported stablecoins across borders, coupled with consolidated views of multi-currency positions. Moreover, the bank is integrating these features in a way that aligns with existing treasury systems used by corporates and financial institutions.

Compliance, security and custody framework

The upgrade includes a series of institutional-grade safeguards for managing digital assets. Singapore Gulf Bank emphasizes that all activity on the platform will be subject to rigorous KYC, KYB and AML controls, mirroring the standards applied to its traditional banking operations. This is designed to meet the expectations of regulators and large corporate clients.

Custody of digital assets and transaction security for the new stablecoin services are underpinned by SGB’s partnership with Fireblocks. The collaboration, first announced in November 2025, supports secure digital asset custody and treasury operations for clients using the bank’s infrastructure. That said, SGB continues to own the overall compliance and oversight responsibilities for the platform.

In addition to working with Fireblocks, the bank is collaborating with stablecoin issuers, ecosystem partners and regulators to define guardrails and risk management frameworks for the expanded service. Moreover, this process is intended to ensure that institutional clients can adopt stablecoin-based workflows without compromising internal governance standards.

Launch timeline and product roadmap

Access to the upgraded stablecoin-enabled network is scheduled to begin in Q1 2026, with SGB coordinating onboarding for institutional participants in phases. However, the launch also fits into a broader, accelerated product roadmap that the bank has pursued over the past two years.

SGB introduced its corporate banking services in late 2024, marking its formal entry into the wholesale banking segment. In May 2025, the bank unveiled the original SGB Net platform as its proprietary real-time clearing network. Moreover, in November 2025, SGB confirmed its partnership with Fireblocks to strengthen digital asset custody and treasury capabilities.

This latest upgrade continues the strategy of integrating traditional banking rails with the digital asset economy through regulated, bank-grade infrastructure. By aligning fiat settlement, stablecoin flows and custody services under one umbrella, the bank is positioning itself as a key institutional gateway to tokenized finance.

About Singapore Gulf Bank

Singapore Gulf Bank (SGB) is a fully licensed digital wholesale bank regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain. It focuses on bridging traditional finance with the digital asset economy, serving businesses and individuals worldwide. Moreover, the institution offers banking, digital asset management and stablecoin settlement services across its core markets.

The bank is backed by Whampoa Group and Mumtalakat, and continues to develop infrastructure aimed at institutional clients looking to integrate tokenized assets into their existing financial operations. For more information, visit www.sgb.com.

In summary, Singapore Gulf Bank’s latest SGB Net upgrade represents a significant step toward unifying fiat payments and stablecoin flows within a single, regulated platform, potentially reshaping how institutions manage cross-border liquidity and digital assets.