Daily Fintech Pulse — “Stablecoins, AI Funding & Global Expansion”
📅 Monday, December 22, 2025
1. Top Headlines
• SoFi launches its own USD stablecoin — FinTech Futures SoFi Technologies has unveiled SoFiUSD, a fully‑reserved US dollar stablecoin issued by its national bank subsidiary — reportedly the first on a permissionless public blockchain by a US national bank. This move accelerates institutional and retail integration of digital assets into mainstream financial services and could reshape settlement flows. (FinTech Futures) 🔗 https://www.fintechfutures.com/blockchain-crypto-digital-assets/sofi-technologies-launches-native-stablecoin-sofiusd
• Singapore’s Olea secures $30M Series A with BBVA leading — FinTech Futures Trade finance specialist Olea has raised $30M in a Series A round led by BBVA, with participation from XDC Network and SC Ventures. The funding will expand its supply‑chain financing platform that connects capital providers to borrowers, reflecting a broader institutional appetite for alternative finance infrastructure. (FinTech Futures) 🔗 https://www.fintechfutures.com/venture-capital-funding/olea-secures-30m-in-series-a-funding-round-led-by-bbva
• Sequence raises $20M to scale agentic AI finance automation — FinTech Futures US fintech Sequence, focusing on revenue and payroll solutions, closed a $20M Series A led by 645 Ventures. Investors aim to fuel agentic AI tools designed to reduce manual financial operations — echoing the industry’s shift toward autonomous workflows. (FinTech Futures) 🔗 https://www.fintechfutures.com/venture-capital-funding/sequence-raises-20m-in-series-a
• Aspire obtains EU EMI licence for European growth — FinTech Futures Singapore‑based fintech Aspire has secured a European Electronic Money Institution licence and established its EU base in the Netherlands — a strategic step toward full continental expansion and payments issuance. (FinTech Futures) 🔗 https://www.fintechfutures.com/b2b-b2c-payments/aspire-lands-eu-emi-licence-to-support-european-expansion-plans
• 2025 Fintech trends: AI, tokenisation, instant payments — FinTech Futures A year‑end review highlights defining fintech trends of 2025 — especially agentic AI, tokenisation, stablecoins, and instant payment systems — flagging continued industry transformation and digital finance innovation. (FinTech Futures) 🔗 https://www.fintechfutures.com/fintech/2025-in-review-the-key-fintech-trends-of-the-year
2. In‑Depth Highlight — SoFiUSD Stablecoin
What happened: SoFi Technologies, a US‑regulated fintech, officially launched SoFiUSD, a fully‑reserved, US dollar–backed stablecoin issued through its national bank subsidiary, SoFi Bank. It is reportedly the first such issuance by a US national bank onto a permissionless blockchain, allowing integration with DeFi protocols and enterprise settlement systems. (FinTech Futures)
Why it matters: This launch milestones the integration of regulated banking entities with blockchain‑native financial infrastructure — bridging traditional finance with digital assets. Stablecoins have surged in relevance for cross‑border payments, real‑time settlement, and programmable funds, and SoFi’s offering could pull more institutional flows into blockchain rails.
Key players: SoFi Technologies (Nasdaq‑listed fintech) and SoFi Bank, backed by executive leadership with deep payments experience, are positioning themselves at the intersection of DeFi and regulated banking services. Institutional partners and fintechs will be able to integrate SoFiUSD in settlement and white‑label issuance models. (FinTech Futures)
Market & regulatory impact: SoFi’s move dovetails with evolving US stablecoin regulation under the Genius Act and growing regulatory clarity — encouraging other bank‑fintechs to pursue similar tokenised asset strategies. This could prompt wider adoption of permissionless blockchain use cases across finance. (Barron’s)
3. Market & Industry Insight
AI’s Strategic Inflection Point
AI continues to transition from experimental to mission‑critical across fintech. With companies like Sequence attracting tens of millions to build agentic automation systems, financial services are seriously embracing AI not just for customer engagement but for operations, compliance automation, and predictive insights. Across finance, AI adoption is highest in customer support automation and risk detection — indicating a strong ROI on deployment at scale. (Fintech Singapore)
Financial institutions are now viewing AI as a competitive differentiator, not a buzzword — a trend reinforced by the 2025 fintech review identifying agentic AI and tokenisation as defining waves shaping the industry’s evolution. (FinTech Futures)
Stablecoins & Tokenisation: From Innovation to Infrastructure
Stablecoins and tokenised assets have evolved into core infrastructure components for digital finance — bridging traditional fiat systems with blockchain’s efficiency and automation. SoFi’s USD stablecoin represents this maturation: leveraging regulatory compliance and blockchain’s settlement speed to unlock new liquidity channels. (FinTech Futures)
Tokenisation is moving beyond speculation to underpin real‑world financial applications, from settlement to trade and treasury solutions — hinting at tokenised funds, programmable money, and green finance instruments becoming standard in 2026.
4. Company & Startup Spotlight
• Olea — Trade Finance Innovator Olea connects institutional investors and corporates in trade finance markets, digitising supply‑chain finance assets. Its $30M Series A round, led by BBVA, highlights increasing interest in alternative financing platforms that alleviate liquidity constraints and enhance capital deployment efficiency. (FinTech Futures)
• Sequence — Agentic AI for Finance Sequence is building autonomous AI capabilities to eliminate manual processes in revenue and payroll workflows. This focus on automation reflects fintech’s broader pivot to reduce operational overhead and accelerate digital adoption across finance teams. (FinTech Futures)
5. Regulatory & Policy Watch
• EU expansion and licences: Aspire’s European EMI licence signals regulatory openness within EU markets for challenger fintechs. (FinTech Futures) • Stablecoin regulatory alignment: SoFi’s launch underscores evolving stablecoin frameworks — especially as the Genius Act and other stablecoin clarity measures gain traction. (FinTech Futures) • Broader market scrutiny: Delayed judicial enforcement of the CFPB open banking rule continues to shape open finance expectations in the US. (Finextra Research)
6. Quote of the Day
“Blockchain is poised to revolutionise finance by enabling instantaneous, secure settlement and programmable money that aligns with modern business needs.” — Anthony Noto, CEO, SoFi Technologies, on the launch of SoFiUSD (source: FinTech Futures) (FinTech Futures)
7. What’s Next
📅 Upcoming & Notable Events
- Fintech Awards & Summits: With fintech innovation awards and a fresh conference calendar shaping 2026, expectations for collaboration and regulation insights are high.
- Regulatory deadlines: Ongoing stablecoin and open banking policy developments could see draft rules and enforcement milestones in early 2026.
- Earnings cycle: Fintech firms with reported year‑end results (including SoFi and others with stablecoin/crypto exposures) will provide clarity on 2025 performance.