Three Giants Bet $17 Million, FIN Makes a Strong Entry into Cross-Border Payments

marsbitPublished on 2025-12-26Last updated on 2025-12-26

Abstract

FIN, a startup founded by former Citadel employees, has raised $17 million in a Series A round led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital and Samsung Next. The company aims to revolutionize cross-border payments by leveraging stablecoin technology to address inefficiencies in the traditional financial system, such as slow processing times, high fees, and complex procedures. Originally launched as TipLink—a lightweight tool for transferring crypto assets via URL links—FIN has pivoted to focus on high-value transactions for businesses and high-net-worth individuals. It uses USDC as its primary settlement medium, enabling instant, low-cost international transfers. Users can send funds to other FIN users, deposit directly into bank accounts, or use crypto channels, all while avoiding technical complexities like gas fees or private keys. The core team, including CEO Ian Krotinsky and CTO Aashiq Dheeraj, brings extensive experience from Citadel and other major firms. FIN generates revenue through transaction fees and interest earned on stablecoins held in wallets. With a pilot program for import-export enterprises upcoming, FIN aims to set a new standard for efficiency in global commercial payments.

In the current global financial system, large cross-border transfers still suffer from "slow processing times, high fees, and cumbersome procedures." A startup named FIN is tackling this pain point head-on using stablecoins, aiming to rewrite the industry's status quo.

Founded by two former Citadel employees, FIN is not operating on the fringes. Instead, it is building a large-value payment rail through stablecoin technology, dedicated to providing instant and efficient cross-border transfer experiences for businesses and high-net-worth individuals.

In early December 2025, FIN announced the completion of a $17 million funding round led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Sequoia and Samsung Next. This capital endorsement highlights the potential of its chosen track.

So, what exactly is FIN? What is its background? And how will it operate and be implemented in the future? This article will take a closer look.

FIN's Core Positioning

Many people's first impression of this team stems from its predecessor, TipLink—a lightweight tool supporting the transfer of crypto assets via URL links, which supports the Solana network and charges zero fees.

However, the rebranded FIN has upgraded its goal to "challenge traditional banks' global payment apps," focusing on meeting the large-value transfer needs of users and businesses involving millions of dollars. It supports diverse scenarios such as transfers to other FIN users, direct deposits into bank accounts, or transfers through cryptocurrency channels.

FIN CEO Ian Krotinsky explicitly stated in an interview with Fortune magazine that the company's core goal is to build "the payment app of the future": fully leveraging the technical advantages of stablecoins while stripping away their complex barriers to entry, enabling seamless global use.

This positioning aligns perfectly with the current development trend in the stablecoin sector.

Core Team: Quantitative DNA + Pain-Point Driven

One of FIN's core competencies lies in the strong background of its founding team.

· FIN Co-founder and CEO Ian Krotinsky: Before founding the project in 2022, he was a quantitative portfolio manager and trader at the top hedge fund Citadel from 2016 to 2022, and previously worked as a program trader at Goldman Sachs.

· FIN Co-founder and CTO Aashiq Dheeraj: Worked as a quantitative researcher at Citadel Securities from 2018 to 2022.

According to Fortune magazine, during their time working together at Citadel, the two often spent nights and weekends developing various hack projects, including a Reddit-like platform where users could earn a $50 reward if their post made it to the front page. This experience gave them a deep understanding of the inefficiency and high costs of traditional cross-border transfers, ultimately leading them to decide to use blockchain technology to solve this industry pain point.

According to FIN's official website, the team also includes members with backgrounds from Google, Meta, Uber, and the leading US digital bank Chime.

Funding History

As early as February 2023, TipLink completed a $6 million seed funding round led by Sequoia Capital and Multicoin Capital, with participation from Solana Ventures, Circle Ventures, Paxos, and others.

Nearly 3 years later, on December 3, 2025, FIN announced the completion of a $17 million Series A funding round led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital and Samsung's investment arm, Samsung Next. Several industry veterans joined as angel investors, including Helius CEO Mert, Bridge CEO Zach Abrams (a stablecoin infrastructure company under Stripe), Ellipsis Labs co-founder Jarry Xiao, and Tensor co-founder Richard Wu.

From TipLink to FIN: How Does the Project Operate?

As mentioned earlier, FIN's predecessor was TipLink. TipLink is a lightweight wallet whose biggest innovation is that the link itself is a non-custodial wallet. It currently only supports the Solana network and charges no fees.

TipLink has built a mature lightweight payment ecosystem:

· Regular users can log in via a Web3 wallet or Google account, create a TipLink, and share it via SMS, Discord, email, or any other platform. The recipient can activate the wallet automatically by logging in with Gmail, enabling asset holding, transfer, or redistribution.

· The enterprise product, TipLink Pro, supports distributing token or NFT assets through a single control panel.

· The developer-oriented TipLink Wallet Adapter supports rapid integration of wallet functionality, allowing users to sign transactions using just their Google account.

Although the revamped FIN has not disclosed all the details, it has clarified five core operational principles:

· Using Stablecoin USDC as the Foundation: FIN supports using the USDC dollar stablecoin as the settlement medium. Regarding a demo released by FIN, Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that the seamless connection of USDC corporate accounts and payments, along with the interoperability between fiat and cryptocurrency in the backend, delivers an efficient user experience.

· Focus on "High-Value Transactions": Unlike TipLink's early focus on small C2C (consumer-to-consumer) transfers and many small-value payment apps in the market targeting retail users, FIN focuses on high-value, institutional-grade transactions. Use cases include asset transfers for high-net-worth individuals, import-export trade settlements, and internal transfers within multinational corporations.

· A Hub for Fiat and Digital Assets: As Jeremy Allaire mentioned, thanks to the interoperability between fiat and cryptocurrency in the backend, users can convert fiat to stablecoins for cross-border transmission. Recipients can choose to hold the stablecoins or cash out directly to a local bank account through FIN's compliant channels.

· Where Does the Revenue Come From? According to Fortune magazine, FIN stated that its revenue will come from fees, but for users, these fees will be lower than other alternatives. Additionally, FIN will generate revenue from the interest earned on stablecoins held in FIN wallets.

· "De-Crypto-fied" Experience: Ian Krotinsky stated plainly that FIN aims to leverage the advantages of stablecoins but discard their complexity. Users of FIN do not need to understand what gas fees are, what a private key is, or what on-chain confirmation means.

Summary

The evolution from TipLink's single-feature "link transfers" to FIN's "payment platform" reflects the shift in the Web3 payment track from "fun to use" to "useful" and "commercialized."

If TipLink allowed users to experience the convenience of "sending money by sending a link," then FIN's goal is to make this convenience the daily standard for global commercial trade.

In an increasingly crowded stablecoin landscape, FIN, with its team's quantitative DNA, clear institutional-grade positioning, and compatibility with traditional finance, is a player worth watching long-term.

FIN has revealed that it will soon launch pilot programs targeting import-export businesses. For such companies, cross-border payment efficiency directly impacts supply chain turnover. The "instant settlement" service provided by FIN may further drive efficiency in the cross-border payment industry.

Related Questions

QWhat is the core mission of FIN, and how does it aim to address the current challenges in the global financial system?

AFIN's core mission is to challenge traditional banks by providing an instant and efficient cross-border payment application for high-value transactions. It aims to solve the issues of slow processing times, high fees, and complex procedures in the current global financial system by leveraging stablecoin technology, specifically USDC, to facilitate seamless, large-scale transfers for businesses and high-net-worth individuals.

QWho are the key investors in FIN's recent $17 million funding round, and what does this investment signify?

AFIN's $17 million Series A funding round was led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital and Samsung Next. This investment highlights strong capital confidence in FIN's potential to disrupt the cross-border payment industry and validates the viability of its stablecoin-based solution for high-value transactions.

QWhat was FIN's original name, and how has the project evolved from its initial concept to its current form?

AFIN was originally named TipLink, a lightweight tool that allowed users to transfer crypto assets via URL links on the Solana network with zero fees. It has since evolved into FIN, shifting its focus from small-scale personal transfers to a comprehensive payment platform targeting high-value, institutional-level cross-border transactions, while maintaining a user-friendly experience that abstracts away crypto complexities.

QHow does FIN generate revenue, and what makes its fee structure competitive compared to traditional alternatives?

AFIN generates revenue through transaction fees and interest earned on stablecoins held in FIN wallets. The company claims these fees will be lower than those of traditional alternatives, offering a cost-effective solution for users while maintaining profitability through efficient operational models and the yield from stablecoin reserves.

QWhat is the background of FIN's founding team, and how did their prior experiences influence the creation of the company?

AFIN was co-founded by Ian Krotinsky (CEO) and Aashiq Dheeraj (CTO), both former employees of Citadel, where Krotinsky was a quantitative portfolio manager and Dheeraj a quantitative researcher. Their experience in traditional finance, particularly with high-frequency trading and inefficiencies in cross-border payments, inspired them to leverage blockchain technology to create a more efficient, stablecoin-based payment solution for large-scale transactions.

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