Trace Finance Secures Grand Prix at 2026 Money Awards for Regulated Cross-Border Infrastructure

Trace Finance has been named a Grand Prix winner at the 2026 Money Awards during Money20/20 USA, securing the top accolade for its regulated cross-border payment infrastructure. The recognition highlights a growing institutional preference for stablecoin settlement that operates within traditional banking perimeters rather than bypassing them through unregulated fund-based structures.

What was announced

The Grand Prix, the highest honor in the 2026 Money Awards program, was awarded to Trace Finance for its "Transforming Cross-Border Payments Through Regulated Infrastructure" entry. The company took the Growth Stage Startup award within the Payments & Commerce category. The ceremony took place on Sunday, October 18, at the Sunday Night Live x The Money Awards event held on The Exchange Stage at The Venetian in Las Vegas, attended by more than 1,600 industry leaders.

Trace Finance was recognized for its technical and regulatory stack that facilitates institutional stablecoin adoption. While digital dollars move instantly, enterprises require compliant local execution, banking connectivity, and foreign exchange (FX) handling. Trace developed this infrastructure first in Brazil, a market known for its complex FX and compliance requirements. The company now holds its own licenses in both the U.S. and Brazil, while maintaining partner bank relationships in Colombia, Mexico, Europe, and Asia.

To date, Trace has processed more than US$15 billion in institutional cross-border volume. It currently serves as the primary provider for the top four global payment providers operating in Latin America, including dLocal. This scale follows a $32 million Series A funding round completed in June, which was led by CoinFund and supported by investors including Coinbase Ventures, Haun Ventures, Jump Capital, Valor Capital, Paxos, and HOF Capital.

"Stablecoins alone do not solve cross-border payments. Stablecoins plus regulated local bank infrastructure does."

Bernardo Brites, co-founder and CEO of Trace Finance

The companies involved

Trace Finance is a regulated financial infrastructure company specializing in cross-border payments and stablecoin settlement. The firm differentiates itself by building directly inside the regulatory perimeter, securing its own licenses rather than relying on the fund-based structures that have recently come under scrutiny from central banks. Its focus is on providing bank-grade infrastructure for large global enterprises and institutional payment providers.

The company is backed by a significant roster of fintech and blockchain investors. CoinFund, which led the Series A, is a prominent investment firm focused on the blockchain sector. Coinbase Ventures, the investment arm of the major U.S. exchange, and Paxos, a leading regulated blockchain infrastructure platform, also provide strategic backing. Other participants include Valor Capital, which has a deep history in the Latin American market, alongside Jump Capital and Haun Ventures. These investors collectively represent a significant portion of the capital currently flowing into the intersection of digital assets and regulated financial services.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed the institutionalization of stablecoin and digital asset infrastructure. Earlier this month, we reported that Jeeves Secures $110M to Scale Stablecoin-Native Banking for Global Enterprises, reflecting a similar trend of providing corporate-grade tools for digital asset settlement. In the European market, we covered how Flowdesk Secures ACPR Authorization to Expand Stablecoin Services Across European Union, highlighting the global push for regulatory licensing.

Our coverage has also touched on the broader digital asset ecosystem, including Raven Trading Hits $90M Valuation to Dominate Prediction Market Liquidity and how Sam Altman-Backed Meanwhile Secures $37.5M to Scale Bitcoin Life Insurance for Global Wealthy Families. These reports underscore a market-wide shift where digital assets are being integrated into traditional financial products like insurance and institutional banking.

What this means

The recognition of Trace Finance at Money20/20 signals that the "wild west" era of stablecoin-based arbitrage is effectively over for institutional players. As the Brazilian Central Bank moves against unregulated fund-based structures, the market is bifurcating: companies that treated regulation as an afterthought are facing existential pressure, while those that built "bank-grade" stacks are capturing the resulting flight to quality. The $15 billion in volume processed by Trace suggests that stablecoins are no longer a retail curiosity but a core component of the global settlement layer. The industry is moving toward a model where the speed of blockchain is secondary to the reliability of the underlying banking connectivity.