PhotonPay Secures Major Funding to Build Future of Stablecoin Finance

HONG KONG – January 09, 2026 – PhotonPay, a financial technology firm at the vanguard of digital currency payments, has secured tens of millions of dollars in a Series B funding round, signaling strong investor conviction in a future where global commerce runs on stablecoins. The round was led by premier investment firm IDG Capital, with significant participation from Hillhouse Investment, Enlight Capital, blockchain-focused Lightspeed Faction, and strategic partner Shoplazza.

The capital injection will fuel PhotonPay's ambitious mission to re-architect the world's financial plumbing. The company plans to aggressively expand its stablecoin-native clearing infrastructure, deepen its global regulatory footprint, and attract top-tier talent. This move comes as businesses worldwide increasingly seek alternatives to the slow and costly traditional banking systems for cross-border transactions.

A New Architecture for Global Finance

PhotonPay is positioning itself not merely as another payment processor but as the foundational operating system for a new era of digital commerce. The company's vision is built on the premise that stablecoins—digital assets pegged to stable currencies like the U.S. dollar—are the key to unlocking frictionless global value transfer.

"Global payments are experiencing a once-in-a-generation structural revolution: moving from slow, siloed legacy interbank networks to a unified, digital-asset-native system built for real-time liquidity and intelligent treasury," stated Lewison Chen, Founder & CEO of PhotonPay.

This revolution is already underway. The total transaction volume for stablecoins surged to an unprecedented $33 trillion in 2025, and the market shows no signs of slowing. PhotonPay aims to capitalize on this trend by providing the infrastructure that allows businesses to settle transactions instantly, 24/7, across the globe. By bypassing the multiple intermediaries and correspondent banks that bog down the legacy SWIFT system, the company claims its platform can reduce global fund transfer costs by over 75% and increase operational efficiency by 60%.

With an annualized payment volume already exceeding $30 billion, PhotonPay is proving its model at scale, serving industries from e-commerce and B2B trade to high-growth sectors like AI and SaaS. "Stablecoins are not just a new settlement tool," Chen emphasized. "They are the foundation for moving value globally at the speed of photon—zero friction, zero latency."

Fueling Growth with Strategic Capital

The new funding is earmarked for a multi-pronged strategy designed to solidify PhotonPay's market leadership. The company outlined four key pillars for its next phase of growth.

First, it will fortify its global financial infrastructure. By deepening its direct connections with established partners like J.P. Morgan, Standard Chartered Bank, DBS Bank, and Mastercard, PhotonPay aims to enhance its capabilities in account issuance and foreign exchange, delivering what it calls "bank-grade stability" with fintech agility.

Second, the firm will broaden its product ecosystem. Moving beyond core payment services, PhotonPay is preparing to launch a suite of "Enterprise Value-Added Services." These include flexible treasury solutions that allow businesses to generate yield on idle capital and agile credit facilities designed to improve liquidity and capital efficiency, embedding its services deeper into clients' financial operations.

Third is a focus on driving an intelligent architectural evolution. PhotonPay plans to deploy proprietary AI models to shift its risk management from a reactive to a "predictive precision" stance, enhancing its anti-money laundering (AML) and anti-fraud capabilities. Simultaneously, it will continue to integrate its stablecoin payment rails with traditional banking, creating a hybrid system that offers the best of both worlds: the reliability of established finance and the speed of blockchain.

Finally, the company will prioritize expanding its global compliance and local footprint. Recognizing that trust is paramount in finance, PhotonPay is accelerating its efforts to acquire additional regulatory licenses, particularly in the crucial U.S. market and other key emerging economies.

Navigating the Global Regulatory Maze

In a digital asset space often characterized by regulatory uncertainty, PhotonPay has distinguished itself through a proactive compliance strategy. The company already holds a formidable array of licenses, including Money Service Business (MSB) registrations in the U.S. and Canada, an Authorized Payment Institution (API) license in the U.K., and a Money Service Operator (MSO) license in Hong Kong.

This commitment to regulatory rigor is a cornerstone of its strategy and a key reason for investor confidence. As governments worldwide, from the European Union with its Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation to the United States with its recently passed stablecoin framework, establish clearer rules, companies with a history of compliance are best positioned to thrive.

Commenting on the investment, IDG Capital noted this specific strength: "What stands out most is the team's ability to abstract the complexity of global compliance and liquidity into a seamless, intelligent infrastructure." The investment firm praised PhotonPay for "tackling payments at the infrastructure layer" and "setting the standard for the future of digital finance."

This approach allows PhotonPay to offer its clients a compliant gateway to the benefits of digital assets without requiring them to become experts in the intricate legal frameworks of dozens of countries.

Investor Confidence in a Crowded Field

The influx of capital from a diverse and respected group of investors underscores the perceived strength of PhotonPay's strategy. The participation of Lightspeed Faction, a dedicated blockchain venture firm, highlights its Web3 credentials, while the investment from e-commerce platform Shoplazza suggests strong potential for strategic commercial partnerships.

Anthony Zhu, Founding Partner of Enlight Capital, framed the investment in broader terms, stating, "What we are backing are not incremental products or services built on top of traditional finance, but fundamentally new technological paradigms and solutions that rearchitect core financial processes."

The path forward is not without competition. Established giants like Stripe are integrating stablecoin payments, and pure-play crypto firms like Circle, a key PhotonPay partner, are building out their own ecosystems. However, PhotonPay's focus on creating a comprehensive, compliant, and hybrid infrastructure layer for B2B transactions gives it a unique position. Its successful partnership with Mastercard, which led to the launch of a commercial credit card in Hong Kong, demonstrates its ability to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3 and deliver tangible products to the market.

As this new funding accelerates its mission, PhotonPay is not just building a company; it is laying down the rails for a new global economic architecture, one where value moves as freely and instantly as information.