On May 12, 2026, stablecoin infrastructure platform Stables announced a strategic partnership with T-0 Network to enhance the settlement capabilities of its USDT corridors across Asia. Under the collaboration, T-0 Network will serve as a dedicated settlement partner, providing the necessary liquidity for Stables to process high-volume transactions across multiple jurisdictions and currency pairs.
Asia’s Infrastructure Gap: 60% of Global Flows Versus Fragmented Rails
Asia currently accounts for approximately 60% of global stablecoin payment flows, yet the region’s payment infrastructure remains highly fragmented. More than 150 local currencies require connectivity, but few local banks are willing to interface directly with stablecoins. This creates liquidity bottlenecks and settlement delays for institutional users. Stables aims to bridge this gap by integrating T-0 Network’s specialized settlement layer, which provides the deep liquidity needed to scale digital asset movements.
“Every corridor we open needs deep, reliable liquidity behind it,” said Bernardo Bilotta, CEO and co-founder of Stables. “T-0 Network gives us a solid settlement partner in Asia, which means our developers can scale with confidence, knowing the infrastructure can keep pace with their growth.”
Regulatory Hurdles: 20th-Century Rules for 21st-Century Tech
When asked whether current barriers — such as dual licensing and high capital requirements — are intentional moats designed to protect legacy systems, Bilotta argued that regulators are simply applying 20th-century regulatory frameworks to technology that did not exist when those rules were written. “Regulators weren’t designing a moat; they were applying 20th-century regulatory frameworks to infrastructure that didn’t exist when those rules were written,” he said. He noted that while these rules were designed for a world of multi-day settlement risk, they effectively create a “compliance runway” for legacy operators. “The gap exists, it’s real… We are building within the constraints, not circumventing them.”
USDT Dominance: Where Institutional Liquidity Lives
Despite the emergence of regulated local stablecoins in several Asian markets, Stables remains focused on native USDT settlement. Bilotta emphasized that this is not a rejection of local assets but a recognition of where institutional-grade liquidity currently resides. “USDT is not a concession, it’s a recognition of where large-scale institutional-grade liquidity actually sits,” he said. “Local stablecoins have made real regulatory progress, but progress in compliance frameworks and reach across global settlement corridors are two different things.” He described the distribution problem of local stablecoins as a “maturity curve” issue that takes time to solve. “Infrastructure doesn’t choose winners; it routes to where liquidity is deepest and settlement is fastest. Right now, that’s USDT. When local options bridge the gap, the infrastructure will already be there.”
Market Context and Partnership Ecosystem
The partnership arrives as the global stablecoin market surpasses $300 billion in total supply. Industry experts point to increasing regulatory clarity in the United States, Europe, the UAE, and Singapore as a key driver of institutional adoption. However, shifting USDT between local currencies at scale poses operational risks, including liquidity shortages and payment defaults during market volatility. Stables noted that the integration of T-0 Network provides the redundancy and depth needed to mitigate these risks for institutional users.
Stables has previously announced collaborations with Mansa and eStable as part of its strategy to position itself as a coordination platform for global remittance flows. James Brownlee, co-founder and CEO of T-0, said: “Stables has built exactly the kind of infrastructure that the stablecoin ecosystem needs in Asia. We are proud to be part of the liquidity layer that ensures it works at scale.”
The deal underscores the growing demand for reliable settlement infrastructure in a region where stablecoin usage continues to outpace the capacity of traditional banking rails to support it.