Thunes and Coinbase Team up: Faster Cross-Border Payouts Ahead?

On this page 9 sections

1. The Thunes Coinbase Partnership: What Was Announced Oct. 19
2. Who Thunes and Coinbase Are in the Payments Chain
3. Why Linking Fiat and Stablecoin Rails Matters for Cross-Border Payouts
4. Where Merchants Could Feel It: Marketplace Payouts, Supplier Payments and Refunds Abroad
5. Today's Pain Points: Wire Fees, FX Markups and Settlement Delays
6. What's Live Now vs. What's Only Planned
7. Questions to Ask Your Payout or Payments Provider Now
8. What to Watch Next: Rollout Timing, Countries Covered and Compliance
9. Next Steps for U.S. Businesses Paying Overseas

Key takeaways

• Thunes and Coinbase announced a two-way deal on Oct. 19, 2026. Coinbase will use Thunes' payout network to reach local bank accounts and wallets, and Coinbase's stablecoin tools will power Thunes' stablecoin infrastructure.
• As of Oct. 23, 2026, neither company has given a launch date, a country list or pricing. Treat it as an announced partnership, not a live product.
• Most U.S. merchants won't sign up with Thunes directly. Any change will reach you through your payout provider, marketplace platform or bank.
• Ask your provider now about all-in costs, delivery times, who handles compliance and whether your business would ever hold stablecoins.

Do you pay sellers, suppliers or contractors outside the U.S.? Then the Thunes Coinbase partnership announced this week is worth a look. It's not a product you can switch on today. It's a sign of where cross-border payouts are going. This article covers what the two companies announced, where each one sits in the payments chain, how linking stablecoins to local bank accounts and mobile wallets could change international payouts, and what to ask your payout provider now.

All facts below are current as of Oct. 23, 2026.

The Thunes Coinbase Partnership: What Was Announced Oct. 19

Thunes and Coinbase announced a strategic collaboration on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas, according to Crypto Briefing and Coinbase's own announcement.

The deal works in both directions:

• Coinbase gets payout reach. Coinbase will build Thunes' Direct Global Network into its platform. That gives it direct payout access to local clearing systems, bank accounts and other payment methods, according to Liquidity Finder.
• Thunes gets stablecoin infrastructure. Coinbase's stablecoin products will power Thunes' stablecoin infrastructure, which lets Thunes use stablecoins more widely across its network.

The companies named three target uses: enterprise supplier payments, payouts to gig workers worldwide, and international remittances. Chloé Mayenobe, Thunes' deputy CEO, described the goal as "seamless, fully compliant cross-border payouts anywhere in the world," as quoted by Asset Servicing Times.

Who Thunes and Coinbase Are in the Payments Chain

The two companies do different jobs, so it helps to separate them.

Thunes says its network handles real-time payments in more than 140 countries and more than 90 currencies. It also says it connects to more than 12 billion mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets and bank accounts through more than 220 payment methods. Those methods include GCash, M-Pesa, Alipay and WeChat Pay HK. Thunes names Uber, Deliveroo, Grab and WeChat among its members. These are company-reported figures from the announcement coverage.

The member list tells you something practical. Thunes mostly sells to platforms and payment companies, not to individual merchants. If this partnership changes how your payouts work, the change will most likely come through the payout provider, marketplace software or bank you already use.

Why Linking Fiat and Stablecoin Rails Matters for Cross-Border Payouts

A stablecoin is a digital token designed to hold a steady value, usually against a currency like the U.S. dollar. Stablecoins can move between parties on a blockchain at any hour. But a contractor in Manila or a supplier in Nairobi usually needs local currency in a bank account or mobile wallet, not a token.

That last step is the gap the partnership targets. TokenPost put it this way: the deal is about reaching the account or wallet a recipient actually uses, "a separate step from accepting a stablecoin payment."

A stablecoin-backed payout could work roughly like this:

1. Your provider takes your U.S. dollar payout instruction.
2. Behind the scenes, value moves across borders in stablecoin form instead of through a chain of banks.
3. The stablecoin is converted to local currency near the recipient.
4. A local network (Thunes, in this case) delivers the money to the recipient's bank account or mobile wallet.

For stablecoin cross-border payments to work for businesses, all four steps have to function, and each one can carry its own cost. Faster movement in the middle doesn't help much if conversion or local delivery is slow or expensive.

This isn't Coinbase's only move in this area. The Crypto Times reported that Coinbase and Marqeta expanded their partnership on Oct. 16. TokenPost noted a separate Coinbase arrangement with Citigroup focused on businesses accepting stablecoin payments. We covered similar moves by the card networks in Mastercard's Global Money Platform and stablecoins at your processor and Visa Direct's stablecoin funding for seller payouts.

Where Merchants Could Feel It: Marketplace Payouts, Supplier Payments and Refunds Abroad

Marketplace Seller Payouts Internationally

Marketplaces with sellers in many countries often run payout batches on a fixed schedule. Some sellers want bank deposits. Others, especially in countries where mobile wallets are common, would rather be paid to a wallet. A provider with wider local delivery could let you offer more payout destinations without adding a new partner for each country.

Illustrative example: A U.S. handmade-goods marketplace pays sellers weekly in several countries, including the Philippines and Kenya. Today, some of those sellers wait days for a bank transfer. If the marketplace's payout provider adopts the Thunes-Coinbase connection, sellers might be able to choose GCash or M-Pesa instead. Actual speed and cost would depend on the provider's published terms.

Marketplaces also have reporting duties. See 1099-K rules for marketplace operators.

International Supplier Payments

Wholesale buyers, dropshippers and e-commerce brands that pay overseas manufacturers usually pay by wire. Supplier payments were one of the use cases the companies named. The value for B2B payers would be predictable arrival times and fewer short-paid invoices, but only if the provider's terms deliver both.

Contractor and Gig Payouts

Many online businesses pay remote developers, designers or support staff abroad. Smaller, frequent payments are where fixed wire fees hurt most, so this is a likely early test case.

Refunds Abroad

Be careful here. Refunds on card purchases go back through the card networks to the original card, so this partnership doesn't change them. It could matter for refunds paid outside the card system, such as returning money to a customer who paid by bank transfer, or settling a credit balance with an overseas wholesale account. For disputes on card sales, see our guide to winning international chargebacks.

Today's Pain Points: Wire Fees, FX Markups and Settlement Delays

These are the problems stablecoin payout rails are meant to address:

• Stacked wire fees. The sending bank, intermediary banks and the receiving bank may each take a fee. Your supplier can end up with less than the invoice amount.
• Hidden FX markups. The exchange rate you get often includes a spread that isn't listed as a separate fee, so the true cost is hard to compare.
• Settlement delays. Cutoff times, time zones, weekends, holidays and compliance checks can add days.
• Limited reach. Some recipients don't have a bank account that can receive international wires easily, or they'd simply rather use a mobile wallet.
• Failed payouts. A wrong account number or a name mismatch can bounce a payment, and the money may come back slowly and minus fees.

Slow payouts also make cash planning harder. If your payout timing is uncertain, build a buffer into your 13-week cash flow forecast.

What's Live Now vs. What's Only Planned

The Defiant and TokenPost both reported that the companies haven't said when the service launches or which markets it covers first. Crypto Briefing reported that no financial terms or full-integration timeline were disclosed. Until your provider publishes corridors and pricing, plan with your current payout methods.

Questions to Ask Your Payout or Payments Provider Now

You don't need to change anything yet. These questions will show whether your provider is likely to benefit:

1. Do you use Thunes, or do you plan to offer stablecoin-backed payouts? Which countries first?
2. Would my business ever hold stablecoins, or do you handle every conversion so I only deal in dollars?
3. What's the all-in cost per payout for my main corridors, including the FX spread and any fees the recipient pays?
4. What are the delivery times and cutoffs? Do payouts move on weekends and holidays?
5. Which destinations do you support in each country: bank accounts, mobile wallets or cards?
6. Who handles payee identity checks and sanctions screening, and what do you need from me?
7. How are failed or returned payouts handled, and how quickly does the money come back?
8. What reference data comes with each payout so my team can match it in our accounting system?

For comparison, check which domestic options your provider supports too. Our guide to RTP, FedNow and ACH covers the U.S. side.

What to Watch Next: Rollout Timing, Countries Covered and Compliance

• Rollout details. Look for product pages, named corridors and published pricing from Coinbase, Thunes or providers that use them.
• U.S. stablecoin rules. The OCC has issued a final rule implementing the GENIUS Act, effective Jan. 18, 2027. The OCC says rules on anti-money laundering, the Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions will come separately, in coordination with Treasury. The Federal Reserve published its own proposed GENIUS Act rules in the Federal Register on Sept. 29, 2026.
• Your obligations. Tax reporting, payee documentation and accounting for payouts involving stablecoins depend on your situation. This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with a qualified accountant or attorney.

Next Steps for U.S. Businesses Paying Overseas

The Thunes Coinbase partnership points toward faster international payouts with more destination options. But as of Oct. 23, 2026, there's no launch date, country list or pricing. For now:

• Keep your current payout setup.
• Send your provider the questions above.
• Compare any stablecoin-backed option on all-in cost and delivery time, not on speed claims.

Payouts are only half the picture. If you also sell to customers abroad, MannyPay's international payment processing covers the acceptance side: multi-currency acceptance, cross-border acquiring paths, review of USD or local-currency settlement, and documentation support. For your store's checkout, see MannyPay's online payment solutions. To review your setup, request a free quote. A MannyPay specialist will respond within one business day.

Sources

1. Coinbase and Thunes Connect Stablecoin Infrastructure With Global Fiat Payouts (Coinbase)
2. Thunes and Coinbase Partner on Stablecoin and Fiat Payouts (The Paypers)
3. Thunes and Coinbase Announce Strategic Collaboration on Global Stablecoin Payments (Liquidity Finder)
4. Thunes and Coinbase Partner on Unified Digital Asset Infrastructure (Asset Servicing Times)
5. Coinbase Partners With Thunes to Expand Stablecoin Payments to 140 Countries (Crypto Briefing)
6. Coinbase and Thunes Plan Bank and Mobile Wallet Payouts (TokenPost)
7. Coinbase Partners With Thunes for Bank and Mobile-Wallet Payouts (The Defiant)
8. Coinbase Seeks Wider Stablecoin Use Through Thunes Partnership (The Crypto Times)
9. OCC Advances U.S. Digital Asset Leadership With Final Rule to Implement GENIUS Act (OCC)
10. GENIUS Act Regulations: Final Rule, Bulletin 2026-50 (OCC)
11. Implementing the Federal Reserve Board's Responsibilities Under the GENIUS Act (Federal Register)

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About the author

MannyPay Editorial Team

Beyond the Swipe's editorial desk researches the publication's guides and news and cites its sources in every article. Articles reviewed by a named MannyPay editor carry that editor's byline.

This article is for general educational purposes and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Card network rules and state laws change; confirm current requirements for your business.