Coinbase Business launches in Singapore for startups, SMBs

Coinbase has launched Coinbase Business in Singapore, its first international expansion outside the US.

The new platform offers cryptocurrency trading and payment services for local startups and small businesses, and is supported by a banking partnership with Standard Chartered to enable real-time transfers in Singapore dollars.

Coinbase said the service lets businesses settle payments instantly in stablecoins like USDC and XSGD, and aims to reduce international transaction costs and chargebacks.

The company is currently accepting early access applications from eligible Singapore-based firms.

This move follows Coinbase’s recent participation in the MAS BLOOM Initiative, which focuses on digital asset settlement in Singapore.

🔗 Source: Coinbase

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

What Coinbase’s Singapore license allows

Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) lists Coinbase Singapore Pte. Ltd. as a Major Payment Institution (MPI) for Digital Payment Token (DPT) Service and Cross-border Money Transfer Service 1. MAS does not list Merchant Acquisition Service (processing acceptance of cards plus wallets for merchants) or Domestic Money Transfer Service (local payment processing), which may limit Coinbase from offering those services.
The license scope sets whether Coinbase Business can offer instant stablecoin settlement to all Singapore merchants or only for certain transaction types, which could narrow utility versus what the announcement implies.
There are 36 MPI-licensed entities authorized for DPT Service in Singapore 2. If Coinbase Business offers merchant tools, it would stand out.

How software can use stablecoin rails

Invoicing platforms and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems can add plugins for SMEs. These plugins let clients accept USDC or XSGD payments 3 via Coinbase Business APIs 4 and reconcile them in their ledgers to cut cross-border costs. USDC and XSGD are stablecoins. USDC tracks the US dollar, while XSGD tracks the Singapore dollar.
Providers need to find Coinbase Business application programming interface (API) documentation and partnership pathways 4. They should check feasibility, including invoice-to-ledger reconciliation workflows. They also need a pricing model that shares savings with small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) customers and preserves margins.
The Standard Chartered banking partnership enables real-time transfers in Singapore dollars (SGD). Payment orchestration layers (software that routes payments across multiple methods) can route transactions between rails and stablecoin settlement using optimization algorithms.