Thunes has raised $70.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Thunes's investors include Granite Asia, Carmen Chang, Founder Collective, Insight Partners, Smash Capital, Stellar Capital.
Thunes is a B2B fintech company providing global payment infrastructure for cross-border payments, enabling businesses to send and receive money in real-time across 130+ countries, 80+ currencies, and over 550 direct integrations via a single API.[1][2][3][4] It serves money transfer operators, payment service providers, digital merchants, creator economy platforms, marketplaces, banks, mobile wallets, and gig economy players like Uber, Deliveroo, Grab, and WeChat, solving the problem of fragmented payment systems in emerging markets by connecting traditional and digital rails for faster, cheaper, and compliant transactions.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Thunes demonstrates strong growth momentum, including a $150 million Series D funding round in April (year not specified in sources) to expand its U.S. presence and platform, alongside recognitions as a top fintech by CNBC/Statista and best cross-border payment platform by The Asian Banker.[2][3]
Formerly TransferTo and founded in 2016 in Singapore, Thunes has scaled its Direct Global Network to reach 7 billion mobile wallets/bank accounts and 15 billion cards through 320+ payment methods like M-Pesa, GCash, Alipay, and WeChat Pay.[1][2][3]
Thunes originated as TransferTo before rebranding in 2016 and is headquartered in Singapore with offices in 13 locations, including Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, London, and San Francisco.[1][3] While specific founders are not detailed in available sources, Peter de Caluwe serves as Deputy Chairman and CEO, driving strategic direction, M&A, funding rounds (including four successful ones), and expansion into emerging markets, building a marquee customer portfolio.[4] The idea emerged from addressing interoperability gaps in diverse global payment systems, particularly to bring the next billion users in emerging markets into the global economy, evolving from early focus on money transfers to a comprehensive infrastructure platform connecting old and new systems.[2][4]
Early traction came through direct integrations and partnerships with major players, enabling real-time payments without intermediaries, which propelled its growth amid rising cross-border demands.[1][2][3]
Thunes stands out in cross-border payments through these key strengths:
These features deliver unrivaled transparency, reducing friction compared to competitors like Airwallex or Rapyd.[1]
Thunes rides the cross-border payments boom, tapping a $194 trillion market by making emerging market systems interoperable amid digital wallet proliferation (e.g., M-Pesa, GCash) and stablecoin adoption.[2][3] Timing aligns with post-pandemic globalization, gig economy growth, and demand for instant remittances/payouts, fueled by super-apps and creator platforms needing frictionless global flows.[1][2][5][6] Market forces like regulatory compliance pressures and intermediary costs favor its direct network model, enabling Swift-connected institutions to access 120+ mobile wallets without extra integrations.[3]
Thunes influences the ecosystem by empowering fintechs, MTOs, and enterprises to scale inclusively, fostering economic participation for billions in underserved regions and setting standards for compliant, real-time infrastructure.[2][4]
Thunes is poised to dominate as cross-border infrastructure, leveraging its $150M funding for U.S. expansion and AI enhancements amid stablecoin integration and emerging market digitization.[1][2] Trends like tokenized assets, super-app dominance, and inclusive finance will amplify its network effects, potentially growing integrations beyond 550 while deepening compliance tech. Its influence may evolve from enabler to ecosystem orchestrator, powering more gig/creator economies and challenging legacy rails—cementing its role as the smart superhighway for global money movement.[2][3][6]
Thunes has raised $70.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $60.0M Series B in September 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2020 | $60.0M Series B | Granite Asia, Carmen Chang, Founder Collective, Insight Partners, Smash Capital, Stellar Capital | |
| May 1, 2019 | $10.0M Series A | Granite Asia, Carmen Chang |
