Citi and Coinbase Bridge Banking and Crypto for Institutional Payments
Wall Street’s institutional crypto bridge is taking shape as Citi partners with Coinbase to modernise cross-border settlements.
Citi has partnered with Coinbase to build digital-asset payment infrastructure for institutional clients. The collaboration aims to streamline fiat on/off-ramps and eventually enable 24/7 fiat-to-stablecoin settlements, signalling a major step in uniting traditional banking with blockchain finance.
Citi’s move into digital payments marks one of Wall Street’s clearest commitments to crypto integration yet. Announced on Oct. 28, the partnership will focus on fiat pay-ins, pay-outs, and payment orchestration across Coinbase’s platform. The initiative is designed to make digital-asset transactions as seamless as global wire transfers, with the added advantage of blockchain speed.
According to Citi, its “network of networks” already spans 94 markets and supports 90% of the world’s leading e-commerce firms. Linking Coinbase’s rails to this infrastructure could provide institutional clients faster access to liquidity while reducing friction in settlement workflows.
Institutional Rails Go 24/7
The next stage of the collaboration will explore always-on fiat-to-stablecoin transfers, enabling round-the-clock movement of funds across jurisdictions. Debopama Sen, Citi’s head of payments and services, said the partnership expands the firm’s vision of continuous settlement and digital infrastructure.
Citi is also preparing to launch crypto custody services in 2026, allowing clients to hold Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) directly with the bank, according to CNBC. This will complement its existing projects like Citi Token Services, which tokenises deposits for cross-border use.
Bridging Two Financial Systems
The collaboration illustrates a broader trend: regulated financial institutions are shifting from blockchain “experiments” to production-grade integrations. Coinbase Prime already serves institutional clients, while Citi’s global presence provides the partnership with scale and compliance credibility.
At publication time, Citi (C) traded around $98.60, slightly down 0.2%, while Coinbase (COIN) dipped 0.6% to $318.50.
The Path to Regulated Digital Liquidity
Citi and Coinbase’s alliance isn’t about replacing banking, it’s about reshaping it. By fusing institutional-grade payments with crypto-native speed, the partnership sets a precedent for how traditional finance can operate on blockchain time.
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