At the beginning of 2026, the international financial landscape has ushered in new changes—Barclays Bank announced the acquisition of a partial stake in the Ubyx USDC settlement platform. This is not only the bank’s first foray into the stablecoin sector but also a landmark event marking the shift of traditional financial institutions from observation to active participation.

What is the core of this investment? Ubyx is a platform established only in 2025, with a clear core business: building a clearing and settlement system for stablecoins. In other words, enabling different issuers' stablecoins to exchange and circulate with each other—this is a big deal for institutional users because "universal redemption" means stablecoins can be directly exchanged for fiat currency at face value and deposited into bank accounts, significantly reducing risk.

Ubyx has also gained industry recognition. In June last year, it completed a $10 million seed round financing, with participation from leading funds such as Ventures, Galaxy Digital, and other compliant platforms. Now, with traditional giants like Barclays involved, the project's credibility is even stronger—although Barclays has not publicly disclosed the specific investment amount or shareholding ratio.

From a strategic perspective, Barclays is taking a smart approach: avoiding the regulatory risks of directly issuing tokens, instead positioning itself at a critical infrastructure point. In fact, as early as October 2025, Barclays had organized an alliance with ten top international financial institutions including Goldman Sachs, UBS, and Deutsche Bank, dedicated to researching the issuance of stablecoins pegged to G7 currencies. Investing in Ubyx now is akin to paving the way for future cooperation within this alliance—so that these major banks can realize cross-institutional, cross-currency stablecoin settlement with ready-made infrastructure.

This reflects a clear industry shift: traditional banks are no longer merely avoiding crypto asset risks but are consciously seeking to occupy the underlying infrastructure. By participating in the settlement layer rather than the issuance layer, they can meet compliance requirements among institutions and gain influence within the stablecoin ecosystem. This approach also aligns with the global trend of tightening regulations—rather than passively waiting, it’s better to actively embrace and find a place within the regulatory framework.

However, it should be noted that as a startup, Ubyx still needs time to validate its technological implementation and regulatory approval; the short-term impact of Barclays’ investment on its financial statements is limited. But from a broader perspective, the significance of this investment goes far beyond the investment itself—it signals to the market that the institutionalization and compliance process of stablecoins is accelerating, and that traditional finance is no longer an outsider.