Alibaba Invested in a Latin American Stablecoin Company, Why VelaFi?
VelaFi, a financial infrastructure platform focused on Latin America and bridging fiat and crypto, has raised $20 million in a Series B round, bringing its total funding to over $40 million. Notably, the investment round included participation from Alibaba Investment, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group.
Alibaba's investment is strategic, as VelaFi's stablecoin-based infrastructure enables instant, low-cost cross-border settlements. This addresses key pain points of high fees and slow processing times, aligning with Alibaba's goals for its AliExpress and B2B platforms in emerging markets.
The funding was co-led by XVC and Ikuyo, with participation from other firms. VelaFi, part of Galactic Holdings and led by CEO Maggie Wu, was formerly known as TruBit Business. It has expanded from Latin America into the U.S. and Asia, serving hundreds of enterprise clients and processing billions in transaction volume.
VelaFi's core B2B model focuses on two main services: providing regulated on/off ramps for converting between local fiat and stablecoins, and facilitating cross-border payments by converting one local currency directly into another (e.g., Mexican Pesos to Brazilian Reals). It achieves this by integrating with local instant payment systems like Mexico's SPEI and Brazil's PIX, using stablecoins as a settlement layer to create a faster, more efficient alternative to traditional banking channels.
marsbit01/14 10:40
