Augustus raises $180m at $1bn valuation for USD crypto bank
US fintech Augustus has secured $180 million in Tiger Global-led funding to build a federally chartered bank that bypasses correspondent banking networks, marking a major step in integrating stablecoins into traditional dollar distribution.
US fintech Augustus has raised $180 million in a Series B round led by Tiger Global, reaching a valuation of $1 billion. The capital injection brings the company's total funding to $210 million. Augustus intends to use the funds to build what it calls the "Global Dollar Bank," a federally chartered national institution designed to give international firms direct access to US dollar accounts.
The company operates an API-first platform named Marble, which provides virtual accounts and transaction processing for foreign fintechs and banks. By combining traditional payment rails like SWIFT, ACH and SEPA with stablecoin settlement, Augustus aims to eliminate the friction of routing money through layers of traditional correspondent banks. The platform offers round-the-clock settlement and incorporates AI-driven features to streamline operations.
Augustus is part of a growing cohort of financial firms securing conditional national bank charters from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency during Donald Trump’s second term. This regulatory shift has opened the door for digital asset businesses to integrate more closely with the traditional banking system. Circle has applied for OCC approval, while Kraken, an existing Augustus client, has filed for a national trust company charter after securing a Federal Reserve Master Account.
The firm's strategic expansion targets high-growth regions including Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Augustus explicitly frames its push as a defensive move for US monetary dominance, pointing to the digital yuan central bank digital currency and BRICS currency alignment as emerging greenback competitors. "We started Augustus with a simple thesis: the Dollar is the greatest product in the world, but its distribution is fundamentally broken," Augustus CEO and co-founder Ferdinand Dabitz said. "This financing lets us execute on our mission to provide high-quality dollar access to international fintechs and banks. It's time to dollarize the world."
The funding round drew a mix of established venture capital and crypto-native investors. Beyond Tiger Global, participants included Hummingbird, QED, Soma Capital, Road Capital Management, CMT Digital, Brevan Howard Digital and Variant. The round also attracted capital from prominent industry figures, including the founders of Nubank, Ramp, Circle and Deel, as well as Balaji Srinivasan.
