Over 580 million individuals and businesses worldwide hold cryptocurrency, yet less than 0.003% of those digital assets are usable in real-world transactions—creating a multi-billion dollar usability chasm. TrustLinq, a Swiss-regulated payments company, has unveiled a regulated infrastructure layer that allows holders of cryptocurrency to fund fiat-denominated payments in over 70 currencies through established settlement channels, eliminating the need for a traditional bank account. The solution targets a structural bottleneck that has long plagued the crypto industry.
The Usability Crisis: Only 15,000 Merchants Accept Crypto
Industry estimates reveal that approximately 580 million people and businesses hold crypto globally, but fewer than 15,000 merchants accept it directly—representing less than 0.003% of global merchants. Analysts have flagged this discrepancy as a major systemic issue, leaving vast amounts of crypto value effectively idle. TrustLinq addresses this by providing a compliant, scalable bridge between self-custodied digital assets and the traditional banking system.
A New Category: Self-Custodial Crypto to Third-Party Fiat Settlement
TrustLinq operates within a Swiss regulatory framework, incorporating structured operational controls, secure asset handling, and multi-jurisdiction settlement connectivity. Its model is classified as Self-Custodial Crypto to Third-Party Fiat Settlement—an emerging infrastructure category that allows users to retain full control of their crypto while initiating fiat transfers to third-party recipients via regulated networks.
“Global participation in cryptocurrency continues to grow, but the connection between decentralized assets and traditional financial systems has remained limited,” said Sharon Gal Franko, CEO of TrustLinq. “TrustLinq was built to provide an infrastructure layer that bridges cryptocurrency with established fiat settlement networks in a regulated and controlled environment.”
Supported Assets and Future Roadmap
At launch, TrustLinq supports USDT (ERC20 and TRC20), USDC, and EURC. Settlement methods already integrated include SEPA, SWIFT, Faster Payments, and ACH, with a debit card solution under development. The company’s roadmap includes additional settlement routes, technical integrations, and platform capabilities.
Non-Custodial Model: Security and Compliance
Licensed as a financial intermediary in Switzerland, TrustLinq operates under strict AML compliance and adopts a non-custodial model—the platform never holds client funds. This structure balances user control over digital assets with the regulatory requirements of global banking systems.
Industry observers note that TrustLinq’s infrastructure category is distinct from exchanges, wallet providers, processors, or remittance services. By bridging self-custodied crypto to regulated fiat settlement, this model has the potential to unlock trillions of dollars in currently unusable digital asset value, providing a critical missing link between the crypto and traditional finance worlds.