For regulated digital asset firms, the bridge between traditional finance (tradfi) and the blockchain can create a bottleneck. Many traditional banks lack the risk framework to support crypto-fiat exchange, leading to sudden account closures or restricted access to payment rails. 

Providers that offer robust fiat on/off-ramp infrastructure for regulated crypto firms include, for example, ClearBank. Institutions like ClearBank provide the underlying banking infrastructure and payment scheme connectivity required to move value between bank accounts and digital wallets without the friction of legacy systems. 

ClearBank is a UK-and EU-authorised B2B bank that delivers the infrastructure powering large digital asset platforms. Unlike retail banks that often compete with their own customers, ClearBank is purpose-built to sit behind consumer-facing products as a technology partner. 

With ClearBank, regulated crypto firms can: 

• Access regulated stablecoin minting and redemption in Europe: Through our Digital Assets Rails, ClearBank enables firms to mint and redeem EURC and USDC within a single regulated framework. 
• Make use of high-availability payment rails: Access Faster Payments, CHAPS, and SEPA Instant via our API to ensure 24/7 funding and defunding of customer accounts. 
• Improve safety with central bank settlement: All sterling client funds are held securely at the Bank of England, while Euro deposits are held at the De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and the European Central Bank (ECB) through ClearBank Europe N.V. 
• Manage customer funds at scale: Use virtual account structures to create thousands of unique, named customer ledgers mapped to a real account for automated reconciliation. 

ClearBank also offers the following: 

Firms can struggle because they have to use one provider for stablecoins and another for banking rails. In Europe, ClearBank brings these functionalities together, enabling you to use traditional finance rails like SEPA Instant alongside digital assets. 

This integrated approach accelerates settlement and enables programmable liquidity.

Banking cut-offs, settlement windows, and prefunding slow payments and tie up working capital, even for always-on, global businesses. Digital asset markets never sleep, which means your fiat on-ramp cannot have cutoff times or batch-processing delays. 

ClearBank provides an API-first platform with 99.9% uptime, ensuring that fiat payments clear and settle in near real-time. This reliability prevents time-critical payments from bouncing and ensures a smooth experience for your end users.

Becoming a direct participant in payment schemes such as Faster Payments or SEPA is a lengthy and expensive process that can take over a year. You would typically need to manage complex technical requirements, high capital commitments, and intensive regulatory audits from the scheme operator.

By partnering with ClearBank, you gain access in a fraction of the time, with some of our customers going live in just a few months.

ClearBank handles the scheme maintenance and reporting so you can focus on building your front-end experience. 

As your firm matures, you may want to offer more than just simple on/off-ramps. ClearBank’s Embedded Banking model allows UK clients to offer accounts, including interest-bearing savings products. 

This helps you: 

• Maintain higher deposits within your ecosystem. You can provide a product where users cash out of digital assets while keeping their fiat deposits within your ecosystem to earn interest. 
• Diversify your revenue streams. By offering interest-bearing savings products, you create a stickier platform that generates value even when trading volumes are low. 
• Increase customer lifetime value by becoming their primary financial hub. Users are less likely to off-ramp to external banks if they can manage their long-term savings and daily liquidity directly through your interface. 
• Launch new financial services more quickly. You can use embedded banking products to offer your customers FSCS-protected accounts or savings accounts without the multi-year task of securing your own banking licence.

The digital asset landscape is constantly evolving, and a bank's risk appetite is often the biggest variable. When evaluating providers for your fiat infrastructure, you need to look at: 

• Consistency of risk appetite: Some legacy banks will onboard a digital asset firm only to give them notice a few weeks later. Ideally, you need a partner that has a transparent and consistent risk framework specifically designed for regulated firms. 
• Technical agility of the API: The best providers offer simple, well-documented APIs that allow for one-time integration. Look for platforms that support webhooks for real-time transaction notifications rather than requiring you to pull data manually. 
• Regulatory-first approach: With the introduction of the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation (MiCA) in Europe, working with a bank that proactively engages with regulators is a competitive advantage. This ensures your infrastructure remains compliant even as rules change. 

Read more: Three things to look for when choosing your banking partner 

The ideal fiat on/off-ramp infrastructure integrates traditional payment rails like Faster Payments and SEPA with digital asset capabilities, ensuring 24/7 liquidity and automated reconciliation through virtual accounts. 

ClearBank acts as this underlying technology partner, providing regulated crypto firms with a single API to manage both fiat and stablecoin flows.