Squads Secures $18M to Revolutionize Business Finance with Stablecoins
In an impressive stride towards reshaping the landscape of business finance, Squads has recently declared a strategic funding round amounting to
$18 million. This round was spearheaded by
Solana Ventures, with engagement from other notable investors, including
Coinbase Ventures and
Haun Ventures. With this latest infusion of capital, Squads' total funding has now reached an astonishing
$42.9 million. The purpose of this initiative is to expedite the development of
Altitude, a novel financial operating system constructed on a robust stablecoin foundation.
The Paradigm Shift in Financial Products
The introduction of stablecoins has been a game-changer, modifying the previous model of business finance that relied heavily on traditional banks. Historically, to facilitate financial products for businesses, partnerships with banks were essential to manage customer funds and navigate through payment processes. This often resulted in a cumbersome cycle involving separate banks for different markets, alongside complex compliance procedures. However, the advent of blockchain technology has revolutionized this structure.
By leveraging stablecoins, financial operations can now separate treasury management and payment systems from traditional banking, thereby unlocking new possibilities. The emergence of licensed Payment Service Providers (PSPs) who operate across both stablecoin and conventional banking platforms paves the way for an end-to-end solution for business financial operations.
Prominent acquisitions within this sector, such as
Stripe’s acquisition of Bridge for
$1.1 billion and
Mastercard’s acquisition of BVNK for
$1.8 billion, highlight the escalating interest and development in this domain.
Altitude: Redefining Financial Operations
Altitude aims to capitalize on this transition. Unlike traditional platforms, it does not hold customer funds directly; instead, it operates on stablecoins, ensuring that money transfers happen instantly, cost-effectively, and without disruption, 24/7. When a transaction requires movement to traditional banking systems, it seamlessly utilizes a network of licensed stablecoin PSPs.
Since its public launch in December 2025, Altitude has managed to process an impressive
$200 million in payments for various clients, including exporters and global agencies, showcasing the platform's versatility and reliability in a wide range of business contexts. Altitude offers global coverage that supports multiple currencies, instant settlements, and programmable financial controls—all key features that appeal to modern businesses.
According to
Stepan Simkin, the CEO of Squads, this round of funding reinforces a simple yet powerful premise: businesses thrive when utilizing stablecoins instead of antiquated banking infrastructures. He states, "For the first time, you can build a comprehensive financial platform based on a genuinely new system, with the regulatory frameworks now in place to support it."
Matthew Beck, head of Solana Ventures, echoed this sentiment, underlining Squads’ technical prowess and vision. He noted, "Stablecoins and programmable blockchains are transforming global finance, and Altitude is poised to lead in this new era."
Addressing Critical Concerns: Compliance and Security
While the integration of stablecoins into mainstream finance offers numerous advantages, concerns surrounding compliance and security have often hindered broader acceptance. Altitude confronts these challenges head-on.
To tackle compliance, the platform boasts a proprietary engine that implements essential checks mirrored from regulated financial technology norms. This includes ongoing sanctions reviews, anti-money laundering (AML) assessments, transaction surveillance, and Know Your Business (KYB) verification. Such measures enable each Altitude account to integrate with various licensed PSPs, ensuring global operation capabilities.
Moreover, adherence to rigorous security standards is a foundational aspect of Altitude. Security controls are enforced at every layer, from programmable controls at the product level to asset custody and fund movement managed by the
Squads Protocol, which safeguards over
$10 billion in assets. Additionally, all transactions are documented and settled on the Solana blockchain, enhancing accountability and traceability.
Kash Dhanda, COO of Jupiter, reflects on the operational complexities businesses have faced before introducing Altitude, saying, "As we scaled, treasury and payments became increasingly convoluted and expensive. Altitude successfully resolved these issues."
About Squads
Founded as a financial infrastructure innovator on Solana, Squads encompasses two key products:
Squads Multisig, recognized as a smart account standard securing substantial assets across the ecosystem, and
Altitude, which provides businesses with multi-currency accounts, corporate cards, global payments, and a comprehensive CFO stack. To dive deeper into their offerings, visit
altitude.xyz or
squads.xyz.