Millions in emerging markets rely on stablecoins for daily transactions but lack safe, compliant ways to earn yield on their digital dollars and euros — returns that issuers typically capture for themselves. OpenTrade solves this by enabling fintechs, neobanks, and exchanges to embed real-world asset (RWA)-backed stablecoin yield products directly into the apps people already use, transforming stablecoins from passive payment tools into active savings vehicles with yields of 3–9% APR.
In exclusive conversations with TFN, OpenTrade’s founders shared: “Stablecoins are crypto’s killer application. Stablecoin transaction volumes surpass $20T annually, surpassing Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal. They’re not just for crypto users—over a third of consumers in Latin America have made purchases using stablecoins. Fintechs worldwide, especially in emerging markets, are increasingly building financial services on stablecoins like USDC. Unfortunately, these fintechs and their customers lack access to safe, compliant investment products for their stablecoin holdings.”
Today, OpenTrade, the London-based fintech infrastructure platform, has closed a $7 million strategic funding round led by Notion Capital and Mercury Fund, with participation from AlbionVC, a16z crypto, and CMCC Global. This brings OpenTrade’s total capital raised to $11 million in just six months — a pace that underscores surging institutional confidence in the company’s mission to democratise access to stablecoin yield products.
The founders told us, “The capital will be used to accelerate OpenTrade’s go-to-market strategy through expanded product development, engineering capabilities, and operational capacity. “
Founders at the forefront of tokenisation
OpenTrade’s founding team — Dave Sutter (CEO), Jeff Handler (Chief Commercial Officer), and Tom Niermann (CTO) — have been pioneers in digital assets for over a decade. Dave and Jeff began their careers building some of the first bitcoin wallets and helped launch early stablecoin projects as far back as 2014.
Their leadership roles at Centre, the consortium behind USDC (a $35B stablecoin), gave them a front-row seat to the explosive growth of digital dollars and the urgent need for compliant, accessible yield products. Tom brings deep technical expertise from Google, Meta, and startup ventures, and was an early investor in the stablecoin projects the team built during college.
Their motivation for founding OpenTrade stems from personal experience and a clear market need: while stablecoins have become crypto’s “killer app,” users, especially in emerging markets, have had limited access to safe, compliant yield products that integrate seamlessly with their daily-use apps.
For the founders, this is about unlocking financial opportunity for millions historically excluded from the global economic system. As CEO Dave Sutter puts it, “We have the network, experience, and momentum to scale globally and help unlock access to dollar-based savings for individuals historically outside the reach of traditional financial systems.”
Since launching its first product in early 2024, OpenTrade has processed over $175 million in transaction volume. It manages $47 million in client assets, achieving 20% average month-over-month growth in the last six months. The platform serves fintechs and institutions worldwide, powering routine deposits and withdrawals for millions of engaged users.
Solving a global problem
OpenTrade addresses a critical market gap. Stablecoin transaction volumes now exceed $20 trillion annually, outpacing Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal. In regions like Latin America and Southern Europe, where inflation and limited access to foreign currency accounts erode savings, OpenTrade’s infrastructure enables fintech, exchanges, and neobanks to offer embedded, RWA-backed yield directly to millions of users.
For example, in Colombia, banks offer just 0.4% APR on dollar accounts, while OpenTrade’s partner Littio enables users to earn up to 6% on USDC balances. In Spain, Criptan offers up to 6% yield on EURC, tripling the typical 2% cap from central European banks. Across Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Spain, over 5 million retail users now access 3–9% APR on their USD and EUR holdings through OpenTrade-powered products.
“Our mission is to enable fintechs and their millions of customers worldwide to invest stablecoins in safe, compliant yield products with no more than two clicks — something many never could do until now,” shared the founders with TFN.
“We believe the next generation of financial services and markets will be built on digital dollars — stablecoins — and OpenTrade’s role is to build critical components for this burgeoning ecosystem: stable, secure, compliant stablecoin yield products that embed directly in the digital wallets and apps businesses and individuals use to manage their financial lives,” founders added.
Behind OpenTrade: an institutional-grade platform and comprehensive security framework
OpenTrade stands apart with its full-stack, institutional-grade platform that combines intuitive, cloud-based web applications, a robust EVM-compatible blockchain protocol and API, and a bank-grade legal and custody framework. This infrastructure enables partners to launch tailored, white-labeled yield products quickly and securely, with complete transparency on backing assets, same-day withdrawals, and flexible economics.
The platform’s legal framework includes bankruptcy-remote SPVs, segregated accounts, and strong risk management and governance to ensure customer protection. Its off-chain banking and custody network is managed end-to-end by regulated asset managers and Tier 1 financial institutions.
OpenTrade is unique in enabling fully embedded, white-labeled yield products powered by a flexible API and on-chain protocol. These products support diverse yield options and asset classes. Bespoke yield products are structured with leading asset managers, brokers, and financial institutions and tailored to customers’ needs.
Unlike most RWA tokenisation ventures, which target institutions or simply bolt yield onto existing stablecoins, OpenTrade uniquely empowers fintech to embed yield-as-a-service directly into consumer apps, reaching millions of everyday users.
OpenTrade’s founders explained to TFN, “There are three distinct categories of RWA tokenisation ventures that have emerged over the past two years, each with its purpose that shapes its features, characteristics, and target users. OpenTrade stands alone in the third category today: providing a full-service platform that enables fintech—primarily neo banks and exchanges in emerging markets—to offer their end-users one-click access to a suite of embedded, white-labeled stablecoin yield products across various asset classes, yields, and risk profiles (‘Yield-as-Service’).”
Leading investors see OpenTrade as a category-defining company. Samantha Lewis, Partner at Mercury, notes, “OpenTrade is building core financial infrastructure for the next generation of fintech. Their rapid growth underscores both the scale of demand and the strength of their model.”
Notion Capital’s Itxaso del Palacio adds, “With a market cap of over $240bn, the stablecoin market is now a force to be reckoned with. OpenTrade is uniquely positioned to build the industry’s much-needed infrastructure and enable stablecoin holders to benefit from yields.”
What’s next for OpenTrade?
OpenTrade’s roadmap for the next 3–5 years focuses on expanding product adoption, launching new yield products and supported asset classes, growing its DeFi-native product line, and enhancing the user experience. The long-term vision is to become the default provider of safe, secure, compliant stablecoin products for what is poised to be a multi-trillion-dollar industry.
Looking ahead, OpenTrade aims to become a multi-billion-dollar venture and the default provider of safe, secure, compliant stablecoin products for what’s poised to become a multi-trillion-dollar industry.
