Barclays, touted among the largest banks internationally, has invested in a young U.S.-based stablecoin startup called Ubyx in the very first week of 2026. This marks its first direct pivot into the stablecoin market — that stood at the valuation of $308.16 billion as of January 7, 2026.
Founded in 2025, Ubyx’s infrastructure allows the conversion of different stablecoins into digital cash that can be deposited directly into standard bank accounts at full value.
On Wednesday, the official X handle of Ubyx announced Barclays’ strategic investment in its business. As of now, elaborate details on the investment including the amount poured in by Barclays and Ubyx’s valuation remains undisclosed.
For the London headquartered bank, the move is aimed at exploring emerging and advanced forms of tokenized money.
Barclays, for now, wishes to understand existing stablecoin infrastructures than create its own token.
With this investment in Ubyx, Barclays has joined the list of crypto players like Coinbase Ventures and Galaxy Digital in funding the startup.
Notably, the pivot of one of U.K.’s oldest banks into the digital assets sector comes in alignment with Britain’s evolving outlook towards the $3 trillion crypto industry.
In October last year, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey had said that stablecoins could thrive in a financial system that separates money from credit, potentially reducing the UK’s reliance on commercial banks.
The country is looking to finalize its crypto laws by October 2027.