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Shield.xyz provides a specialized platform that streamlines business-to-business international payments through stablecoin integration. The company's core offering enables wholesale businesses and US exporters to accept stablecoins like USDT and USDC, facilitating same-day wire transfers directly into their bank accounts. This system addresses traditional cross-border payment inefficiencies, offering a compliant and efficient alternative for global commerce.
The company was founded in 2022 by Emmanuel Udotong, Isaiah Udotong, and Luis Carchi. The co-founders, boasting backgrounds from institutions like Princeton and MIT, and experience at companies such as Facebook, were driven by their personal frustrations with the complexities of international trade. Their shared experiences navigating customs, shipping electronics to Latin America, and encountering bank-related hindrances inspired them to create a more effective financial infrastructure.
Shield serves businesses involved in international trade, particularly those requiring reliable and swift cross-border transactions. The company aims to simplify and enhance the banking and payment landscape for wholesale operations, acting as a crucial bridge for companies looking to expand their global reach. Shield's vision centers on fostering a more interconnected and accessible international trading environment for its clientele.
Shield USDT has raised $5.0M across 1 funding round.
Shield USDT has raised $5.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Shield USDT is a financial technology company, often described as a crypto neobank, that provides B2B crypto exchange services for international businesses, enabling seamless buying, selling, and transferring of stablecoins like USDT with US-based virtual bank accounts.[1][2][3] It serves exporters, international buyers, and other businesses facing high fees and slow settlements in cross-border payments, solving pain points by cutting transaction costs to as low as 1% (vs. 5% on platforms like PayPal or SWIFT), offering same-day fiat wires, and supporting major networks like ERC-20 and TRC-20—all without monthly fees or requiring users to hold crypto.[1][2][3] Shield has demonstrated strong growth, processing over $250M in total volume across 3,500+ transactions, raising $2.1M in an oversubscribed pre-seed round followed by a $5M fundraise, and securing MSB registration with the US Treasury plus up to $1M insurance against loss, fraud, or theft.[1][2][3]
Founded in 2022 by Emmanuel Udotong (CEO), Isaiah Udotong (COO), and Luis Carchi (CTO)—a team with backgrounds as ex-Facebook and McKinsey employees who were also commodities exporters across the US, South America, Africa, and Asia—Shield emerged from real-world frustrations in international trade.[2] The founders identified banking and payments as "choke points" stifling trade corridors, realizing stablecoins could enable instant, transparent cross-border movement to level the playing field for underserved exporters.[2] Early traction came via practical solutions for electronics wholesalers and exporters, leading to rapid scaling with $250M+ in volume, VC backing from leading financial institutions, and expansions into compliant USDT-friendly banking products.[1][2][3]
Shield rides the stablecoin adoption wave in global trade, where blockchain addresses legacy banking inefficiencies amid rising demand for instant, low-cost cross-border payments in underserved regions like Africa, South America, and Asia.[2] Timing aligns with maturing US regulatory clarity for crypto (e.g., MSB status) and explosive stablecoin growth—USDT's dominance enables exporters to compete without account closure fears or delays.[1][2] Market forces favoring Shield include e-commerce globalization, electronics supply chain pressures, and neobank disruption of SWIFT's dominance; it influences the ecosystem by onboarding traditional businesses (e.g., wholesalers) to crypto rails compliantly, fostering job creation in emerging markets and expanding stablecoin use cases beyond speculation.[2][3]
Shield is poised to capture more of the $120T+ cross-border payments market by rolling out additional banking products, broader licensing, and industry-specific tools for underserved trades, leveraging its $5M raise for compliance scaling.[2] Trends like tokenized real-world assets, CBDC interoperability, and AI-driven fraud detection will amplify its edge, potentially evolving it into a full-suite neobank for global SMEs. As stablecoins become trade infrastructure, Shield's founder-led focus on reliability could redefine financial access, empowering exporters to thrive—turning choke points into competitive moats, much like its origins in real exporter pain.
Shield USDT has raised $5.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Shield USDT's investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Multicoin Capital, David Hoffman, Stani Kulechov.
Shield USDT has raised $5.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $5.0M Seed in March 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2025 | $5M Seed | — | Andreessen Horowitz, Multicoin Capital, David Hoffman, Stani Kulechov | Announced |
