Ubyx raises growth funding to enable banks' cross-border settlement via regulated stablecoins
This article covers Ubyx, a blockchain startup, closing a growth funding round following a strategic investment from Arab Bank’s fintech accelerator, AB Xelerate. The deal aims to advance Ubyx’s infrastructure for regulated digital money and stablecoins, supporting banks and corporates moving from pilots to production for cross-border payments and treasury flows.
Ubyx, a blockchain startup, has closed a growth funding round after a strategic investment from Arab Bank’s fintech accelerator, AB Xelerate (the amount was not disclosed). The deal aims to advance Ubyx’s infrastructure for regulated digital money and stablecoins, a development that matters as banks and corporates move from pilots to production use for cross-border payments and treasury flows.
Why it matters
The investment signals growing institutional interest in regulated digital money infrastructure rather than isolated token platforms. Ubyx is positioning itself to connect regulated financial institutions so they can issue, accept and redeem tokenised deposits and stablecoins at par across different blockchains and jurisdictions. If broadly adopted, that interoperability could reduce settlement friction for international trade, liquidity management and treasury operations—areas that matter to banks operating between the Middle East and global markets.
Inside the product
Ubyx is building a shared network and the clearing and acceptance infrastructure needed for regulated digital money to move between institutions while preserving par-value and compliance. The stack is designed to sit alongside existing banking controls rather than replace them: on- and off-ramps, redemption rails, and compliance tooling to satisfy supervision across jurisdictions. That approach targets use cases such as cross-border payments, intra-group treasury, and payment rails for trade finance where regulatory certainty and parity with fiat are critical.
Who are the investors?
The investment comes from AB Xelerate, Arab Bank’s fintech accelerator and corporate venture arm. AB Xelerate operates a strategic, internally aligned model that seeks partnerships, integrations and investments relevant to Arab Bank’s product and departmental needs across the MENA region and its international footprint.
In the announcement, Hala Zahan, Head of AB Xelerate at AB Xelerate, said:
Digital assets and stablecoins represent a major opportunity for financial innovation in the MENA region. Our investment with Ubyx reflects our confidence in their infrastructure and their ability to support the secure, compliant, and scalable adoption of this emerging ecosystem.
Arab Bank itself is an established regional bank with a large global presence and more than 600 branches. For a bank with operations and clients spanning London, Dubai and other global financial centres, investments that help enable regulated, cross-border digital money align with commercial needs around payments, liquidity and settlement.
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
- Explore our list of blockchain venture capital firms in the UK
- Browse our directory of blockchain angel investors in the UK
Founder perspective
In the announcement, Tony McLaughlin, CEO of Ubyx, said:
The future of digital money depends on global networks, not isolated platforms. For digital money to scale, it must move seamlessly across institutions, markets and jurisdictions while retaining par-value integrity and regulatory confidence. AB Xelerate's solid experience in banking innovation makes them an ideal partner as we build infrastructure designed for global adoption and support the next generation of regulated digital finance.
McLaughlin frames the work as infrastructural: interoperability and regulatory alignment rather than consumer-facing token issuance. That roadmap targets banks and regulated institutions as primary customers and integration partners.
The bigger picture
This deal follows a broader shift: regulated digital money and stablecoins have moved up institutional agendas as pilots show operational benefits but also reveal the need for shared rails and compliance-first architectures. For banks and corporates operating between the Middle East and global markets, the promise is faster, cheaper settlement that remains within supervisory frameworks.
The announcement also sits within a growing pipeline of activity around tokenised deposits and regulated digital money in Europe and the UK, where regulators and central banks are increasingly focused on interoperability, custody standards and AML controls. The Ubyx-AB Xelerate tie-up underlines how regional banks and corporate venture arms are seeking to shape infrastructure that could underpin cross-border payments at scale.
As regulators and market participants in the UK and Europe continue to clarify rules for tokenised assets, expect more collaboration between incumbent banks and specialist infrastructure providers—especially those that prioritise regulatory compatibility and multi-jurisdictional settlement.
They've invested in Ubyx
Get to know these blockchain investors
Click here for a full list of 7,526+ startup investors in the UK