Augustus raises $180 million to build a clearing bank for the AI and stablecoin era

Augustus, a fintech startup focused on building an AI-native, federally chartered clearing bank tailored for the stablecoin era, announced it has raised $180 million in funding at a $1 billion valuation. The round was led by Tiger Global with participation from investors such as Hummingbird, QED, and founders from Nubank, Ramp, Circle, and Deel. Augustus aims to construct modern payment infrastructure that enables seamless money movement across traditional banking rails and blockchain networks with programmable, always-on settlement, without issuing its own stablecoin.

The company already operates regulated euro clearing services through its entity in Finland, processing billions of euros annually for global financial institutions including fintechs, banks, and crypto firms such as Kraken. Augustus recently received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national bank charter and plans to add U.S. dollar clearing once final approval is obtained. Founder and CEO Ferdinand Dabitz highlighted that legacy clearing systems are slow, often closing on weekends and taking days to settle, and sees Augustus as positioned to modernize this correspondent banking layer.

Augustus’s platform was built from the ground up rather than relying on legacy banking infrastructure, enabling it to support programmable payments and 24/7 settlement. Dabitz emphasized that this approach is critical as artificial intelligence drives new financial risks and demands, with programmable money facilitating meaningful AI interaction with banking systems. The company also views stablecoins as key to improving treasury management by allowing institutions to freely move liquidity across markets instead of locking trillions of dollars in correspondent accounts.

The development matters because Augustus targets a less visible but essential part of the global financial system—clearing banks—by creating infrastructure capable of bridging both traditional and blockchain-based payments. By integrating stablecoin rails and AI-driven functionality, the company aims to meet growing demand from fintech, banking, and crypto sectors for faster, more flexible cross-border payments and liquidity management.