Barclays Acquires Stake in Ubyx amid Stablecoins, Tokenization Interest

Barclays has acquired a stake in Ubyx, a U.S. stablecoin settlement company. This is the bank’s first investment of this kind and is part of its plan to explore new types of digital money as interest in tokenization and regulated stablecoins grows.

Barclays Invests in Stablecoin firm Ubyx

Barclays has made a strategic investment in Ubyx, a U.S.-based clearing system for digital money, according to a press release on January 7.

The bank is now working to help build a global network for accepting regulated digital money, such as tokenized deposits and stablecoins. Bank involvement is important to ensure customers can redeem these assets at face value through regulated channels.

As the global financial services sector transforms, every regulated firm offers digital wallets alongside traditional bank accounts. Interoperability is essential to realize the full benefits of digital assets.

“As the landscape of tokens, blockchains and wallets evolves, specialist technology will play a pivotal role in delivering connectivity and infrastructure to enable regulated financial institutions to interact seamlessly,” said Ryan Hayward, Head of Digital Assets and Strategic Investments at Barclays.

Growing Interest in Tokenization and Stablecoins

This investment comes as interest in new types of digital money, like tokenized assets and regulated stablecoins, is rising. With clearer regulations, Barclays and Ubyx say they are committed to developing tokenized money responsibly and within legal guidelines.

Barclays is also among 10 banks, including Goldman Sachs and UBS, that are exploring the idea of jointly issuing a stablecoin linked to G7 currencies.

As CoinGape earlier reported, nine major European banks also joined forces to issue a MiCA Regulation-compliant Euro stablecoin. The banks are ING, Banca Sella, KBC, Danske Bank, DekaBank, UniCredit, SEB, CaixaBank, and Raiffeisen Bank International.

Several banks and financial institutions have announced plans involving stablecoins as crypto prices rise, the GENIUS Act supports regulated stablecoins, and rules for tokenization become clearer.

Support from U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed interest in using blockchain in mainstream finance. In addition, new rules and guidelines in several countries are helping more people and companies adopt crypto.

Total stablecoin market cap has surpassed $312 billion, according to CoinGecko data. Tether’s USDT represents roughly $187 billion, with a dominance of more than 60% of the stablecoin market.