Stripe's Global Crypto Payments Push

Stripe has marked its tenth year in Singapore with significant upgrades to its global operations. The company, which provides payment processing services, has been expanding its presence in the city-state and is now looking to further integrate itself into the global crypto payments infrastructure.

In a major move, Stripe acquired OpenRouter for more than $7 billion in August 2026. OpenRouter manages the workflow of transactions and will help Stripe streamline its processes. This acquisition is part of Stripe's efforts to increase its control over the global crypto payments infrastructure.

Stripe has also been competing with Swift to be the dominant player in this space. Swift expanded its blockchain settlement network, which allows for faster cross-border payments. However, Stripe made a bold move by offering to acquire PayPal for $53 billion, seeking control of its 439 million accounts. This would give Stripe a significant advantage in the global crypto payments market.

Meanwhile, Coinbase is also expanding its presence in Singapore, planning to increase its workforce to around 200 employees by the end of 2026, up from 150 currently. The company's country director, Hassan Ahmed, confirmed this plan.