Financial technology leader SoFi Technologies, Inc. and financial infrastructure provider Payward have announced a broad strategic alliance engineered to connect digital asset trading platforms directly with traditional banking, payment settlement, and institutional liquidity networks.
The partnership bridges SoFi’s enterprise banking capabilities with Payward’s digital asset infrastructure. Under the agreement, Payward will integrate SoFi’s Big Business Banking suite, join the SoFi Exchange Network (SEN), and list SoFi’s bank-issued stablecoin, SoFiUSD, on its global trading platform. Concurrently, SoFi will tap Kraken Prime Payward’s institutional prime brokerage engine as a liquidity source, with qualified custody capabilities planned as the strategic relationship matures.
Unlocking 24/7/365 Real-Time Settlement for Institutional Capital
A central friction point within institutional capital markets remains the operational disconnect between round-the-clock digital asset exchanges and traditional bank settlement systems. Standard clearinghouses operate on legacy business-day schedules, creating liquidity bottlenecks during weekends and after-hours trading windows.
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By integrating into the SoFi Exchange Network (SEN) SoFi’s real-time payment settlement rail Payward enables institutional clients to clear and settle U.S. dollar transactions continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Key technical and operational milestones delivered through the partnership include:
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24/7 USD Real-Time Settlement: Links Kraken, one of the world’s largest digital asset exchanges, directly to SEN to allow instant fiat transfers and automated liquidity rebalancing at any hour.
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Expanded Stablecoin Distribution: Lists SoFiUSD on Kraken, broadening global access to SoFi’s bank-issued stablecoin. Designed to pair blockchain utility with regulated banking oversight, SoFiUSD is redeemable one-to-one for U.S. dollars.
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Institutional Liquidity Sourcing: Integrates Kraken Prime as a foundational liquidity source behind SoFi’s in-app crypto offering, improving trade execution and price discovery for retail users.
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Enterprise Banking Integration: Deploys SoFi’s Big Business Banking infrastructure across Payward’s corporate treasury operations.
Executive Insights on Enterprise Financial Convergence
“The financial system should not shut down when markets stay open,” said Anthony Noto, CEO of SoFi. “SoFi is building the trusted financial infrastructure for an always-on economy, combining the strength of a nationally chartered bank with technology that allows money to move seamlessly and efficiently. Our partnership with Payward is a powerful validation of that strategy and an important step toward a financial system where businesses can move money across networks and, over time, across borders without the delays and fragmentation of legacy infrastructure.”
“Money and markets are converging into a new financial paradigm, and the infrastructure underneath has to catch up,” said David Ripley, Co-CEO of Payward. “Collaborating with SoFi lets us close that gap, and it works in both directions. Millions of people will buy their first cryptoasset inside the app they already use for their paycheck, and the infrastructure behind that experience should connect them to deep, liquid markets built to operate at scale.”
Enhancing Retail Trade Execution via Kraken Prime
For consumer accounts using the all-in-one SoFi app, the technical integration operates silently behind the scenes. When members buy or sell digital assets inside SoFi’s mobile interface, Kraken Prime operates as an underlying liquidity provider to optimize order execution, reduce bid-ask spreads, and secure competitive pricing across everyday crypto transactions.
Looking ahead, the collaboration establishes an operational foundation for SoFi and Payward to expand joint initiatives across cross-border payments, corporate treasury management, digital lending, and institutional digital asset custody.
Scaling Big Business Banking Across Digital Economy Rails
The collaboration marks a major commercial milestone for SoFi’s Big Business Banking platform, which debuted in April to unify enterprise commercial banking, payment rails, and digital asset services under a single regulatory umbrella. By uniting the regulatory protections of a chartered national bank with Payward’s market reach, the alliance accelerates the transition toward an always-on, borderless financial ecosystem.
