OBOOK Details Stablecoin Plan to Accelerate Global Payments at OBOOK Conference

OBOOK NASDAQ: OWLS outlined its strategy to build a regulated, stablecoin-enabled cross-border payments infrastructure during a fireside chat at the Lytham Partners Consumer and Technology Summit. Darren Wang, founder and chief executive officer of OwlTing Group, said the company’s central goal is to make international money transfers faster, less expensive and easier to use through stablecoins. OwlTing is an operating brand of OBOOK Holdings. Get OBOOK alerts: Sign Up Wang said the company began pursuing U.S. and international regulatory licenses about six years ago, with licensing efforts extending to Europe, Japan and other markets. He described regulatory compliance as a core component of the company’s operating model, particularly for fintech clients that may not have the resources or time to obtain licenses independently. OwlPay Harbor Targets Enterprise Payment Flows The company’s flagship product, OwlPay Harbor, is designed to facilitate the conversion of traditional currencies into stablecoins and the subsequent conversion of stablecoins into local currencies. Wang compared the platform to a harbor that manages the underlying technology and compliance processes involved in moving funds between fiat currencies and digital assets. According to Wang, the platform can off-ramp stablecoins into local currencies in more than 60 countries, while its fiat-transfer capabilities cover more than 250 regions. The company works with Circle on the use of USDC and has banking relationships intended to support fiat on-ramp and off-ramp services. Wang said OwlPay Harbor provides clients with access to licensing, anti-money-laundering controls and know-your-customer standards. He said the platform can allow smaller fintech companies to onboard customers in as little as two weeks, compared with the years needed to establish licensing infrastructure independently. He also said the company has reduced enterprise onboarding times as its processes have matured. While onboarding initially took approximately four weeks, Wang said the shortest recent onboarding process took three days, followed by transaction testing before a client begins moving live funds. Focus on Speed, Liquidity and Emerging-Market Corridors Wang contrasted stablecoin settlement with traditional cross-border payment processes that can take days and involve higher fees. He cited an example of a payment from Nigeria to Cyprus that was converted into euros within two minutes, though he did not provide further details on the transaction. The executive said customers generally do not want to manage the complexity of different blockchain networks or stablecoins. Instead, they prioritize the cost of a transfer and the time it takes for funds to arrive. OwlTing’s role, Wang said, is to manage the underlying settlement infrastructure while presenting a simpler experience to enterprises and users. A major competitive factor is the availability of local-currency liquidity, according to Wang. He said enterprises moving large volumes need the ability to convert stablecoins into local currency quickly, and that OwlTing has partnered with banks and Visa Direct to support liquidity across markets. The company sees near-term opportunities in several cross-border payment corridors, including: United States-to-Africa, particularly Nigeria; Africa-to-Hong Kong; Japan and Southeast Asia; United States-to-Latin America; and India, where Wang said the company has partnered with local participants. Growth Metrics and Revenue Model Wang said OwlPay Harbor had reached 79 enterprise clients in July, while payment volume more than doubled from June and increased for a sixth consecutive month. He characterized the business as having elements similar to a software-as...