Targeting a market of 1.4 billion people! AllScale secures $5 million in funding to build the first self-custodial stablecoin digital bank

AllScale, a self-custody financial platform focused on serving global small and micro businesses, recently announced the completion of a $5 million seed round. The round was led by YZi Labs, with participation from Infomed Ventures and Generative Ventures. The project aims to build the world’s first self-custody stablecoin digital bank, leveraging account abstraction and AI-powered financial assistants to provide instant, low-cost, borderless stablecoin payment and invoicing solutions for freelancers and SMBs worldwide. Its vision is to become the underlying payment infrastructure powering the “super individual” economy.

(Source: X)

Capital Bet: Leading VC, Star-studded Team

In an era where crypto venture investment has become more rational, a $5 million seed round is undoubtedly a strong endorsement of the project’s potential and direction. The lead investor, YZi Labs, was formerly Binance Labs, the venture capital and incubation arm of industry giant Binance. This background provides not only financial support but also signifies top-tier recognition in terms of technical resources, ecosystem integration, and industry insight. Both Infomed Ventures and Generative Ventures, the participating investors, have substantial experience in the crypto space, and their collective bet reflects the optimism of professional capital toward AllScale’s chosen track.

The influx of funds will directly accelerate AllScale’s product development and market expansion. Although the specific allocation plan has yet to be fully disclosed, such early-stage financing typically focuses on core platform development, security audits, team expansion, and initial user acquisition. Notably, AllScale has been accepted as an official ecosystem partner of BNB Chain. This strategic relationship is crucial, enabling AllScale to build its services on BNB Chain’s high-throughput, low-cost environment and directly access its massive user base, paving the way for technical adoption and business expansion.

Backing this fundraising story is an “all-star” founding team. Members come from top crypto exchanges, traditional fintech giants, and leading internet companies, including Block, Capital One, TikTok, Amazon, and others. This diverse background ensures the team is deeply versed in blockchain technology and crypto markets, while also possessing the payment, compliance, and growth experience essential for building compliant, user-friendly, and scalable fintech products.

AllScale Seed Round Financing & Core Team Overview

Financing Details:

• Round: Seed
• Total Amount: $5 million
• Lead Investor: YZi Labs
• Major Co-Investors: Infomed Ventures, Generative Ventures
• Early Investors: Amber Group, Draper Dragon, etc.

Strategic Partnership: Official BNB Chain ecosystem partner

Core Team Background: Members from major CEXs, Block, Capital One, TikTok, Amazon, Dell, HP, etc.; with experience in crypto, payments, compliance, and growth.

Addressing Trillion-Dollar Pain Points: Rebuilding Payment Infrastructure for Global “Super Individuals”

AllScale is not just another crypto wallet or DeFi app; its ambition is to target a massive market that has long been underserved by traditional finance—global SMBs and freelancers. According to the World Bank, more than 1.4 billion adults worldwide still lack basic banking services, and hundreds of millions of freelancers and cross-border small businesses suffer from high fees, long settlement times, and strict account scrutiny by traditional payments.

AllScale positions itself as a “self-custody stablecoin digital bank,” with a solution centered on bypassing traditional intermediaries and leveraging stablecoins and blockchain technology to build an entirely new payment layer. For users, this means cross-border stablecoin transfers can be completed in minutes, without needing a traditional bank account or managing/backing up complex mnemonic private keys. Through account abstraction, the platform delivers a seamless Web2-like experience while keeping full control of underlying assets (self-custody) with the user.

Services include professional invoicing tools, one-click payment links, and cross-border payroll solutions. For example, an African developer can invoice a US client in USDC; the client clicks a link to pay instantly, with funds going directly to the developer’s self-custody wallet, bypassing high channel fees and days-long wait times. AllScale plans to first roll out these services to Africa’s large freelance community and enter the Latin American market next quarter, targeting low banking penetration but high mobile internet adoption.

Technical Breakthrough: Making Self-Custody as Easy as Sending a Message

Self-custody, though a core crypto principle, has long been hindered by technical barriers (key management, risk of asset loss) that impede mass adoption. AllScale’s breakthrough lies in not requiring users to understand the underlying tech. Instead, it integrates cutting-edge technologies to completely hide the complexity.

First, it uses “passkeys” as the main authentication method, allowing users to access wallets via familiar biometrics (fingerprint, facial recognition) or device PIN, eliminating the fear and burden of backing up and entering 12-word mnemonics. This significantly lowers the entry barrier without sacrificing user control.

Second, its “multi-chain payment manager” architecture is a key innovation. It can automatically pay network gas fees for users’ transactions, enabling a “zero gas” experience. For users frequently making small cross-border payments, not needing to hold various native tokens for fees is a huge upgrade. The system can also intelligently route transactions to BNB Chain or other efficient Layer 2 networks, ensuring instant confirmation and low cost.

Finally, the platform introduces an LLM-powered financial assistant. This AI assistant automates tasks such as invoice creation, reconciliation, and tax reminders, seamlessly integrating stablecoin payments into SMB operations. AllScale’s ultimate goal is to make blockchain “invisible”—users experience only a faster, cheaper, more user-friendly global payment tool, not complex crypto.

Challenges & Outlook: Defining a New Category in a Crowded Space

Despite the promising outlook, AllScale faces formidable challenges. First, the crypto payments and “crypto-native banking” sector is already competitive, from veterans like BitPay to a host of new Web3 payment projects. AllScale must build a differentiated moat through exceptional user experience, clear compliance pathways, and deep understanding of specific vertical markets (SMBs & freelancers).

Second, market education remains a major hurdle. Convincing small business owners used to PayPal or wire transfers to trust a self-custody stablecoin payment system requires extensive user education and market building. This is not just about product usability, but also about establishing strong brand trust. Lastly, the rapidly changing global regulatory landscape—especially regarding stablecoins and cross-border payments—presents ongoing uncertainty for long-term growth.

However, AllScale’s chosen direction sits at the intersection of several macro trends: the “super individual” economy driven by global digital transformation, the solidifying status of stablecoins as foundational currency for the value internet, and the complete reshaping of productivity tools by AI. Generative Ventures partner Will Wang praised AllScale for its “rare technical depth and regulatory clarity”—perhaps the core reason capital is backing it over others.

From securing $5 million in seed funding to growing into financial infrastructure serving millions of “super individuals” globally, AllScale has a long road ahead. But this funding is a strong signal: beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum price narratives, VCs are actively seeking and supporting projects that solve real-world payment pain points with blockchain, clear business models, and strong execution. AllScale’s story is more than just a startup funding headline—it’s a vivid snapshot of crypto tech’s shift from “speculation tool” to “utility engine.” Its success or failure will test a fundamental question: to what extent can self-custody crypto finance transform ordinary people’s business and lives?