Direct access means connecting straight to major banking and card networks such as ACH, Fedwire, FedNow, SEPA, Faster Payments, Visa, and Mastercard, without layered intermediaries. Chain provides access to our partner network of regulatory licenses and our Chain Direct Infrastructure, lifting the heavy compliance and connectivity work so enterprises can move funds between stablecoins and fiat through recognized banking rails — enabling faster settlement, lower costs, and simpler reconciliation at global scale.

Chain provides infrastructure rather than acting as a transaction intermediary. In the Chain for Banks use case, client banks remain at the center of the transaction flow, with no custody of client funds by Chain and settlement occurring directly through the bank. In other use cases, Chain integrates as a non-custodial infrastructure layer within a client’s existing payments or platform stack.

Stablecoins function as a settlement layer that enhances speed and availability without replacing banks. Chain enables enterprises to use stablecoins for instant, cross-border value movement while maintaining bank-based minting, redemption, compliance, and fiat payouts. This allows stablecoins to behave like faster correspondent banking rather than an alternative financial system.

Compliance is embedded directly into Chain’s infrastructure through integrated KYC/KYB, AML, sanctions screening, and transaction monitoring. Smart contract–based workflows and on-chain ledgers automate rule enforcement and maintain immutable audit trails, providing banks and platforms with real-time visibility and compliance controls across payments, cards, securities, RWAs, lending, and crypto operations.

Direct access is designed for banks, payment providers, fintechs, and regulated platforms that need to move money globally with speed and reliability. It enables these institutions to access the same rails used by banks while adding real-time settlement, programmability, and interoperability across fiat and stablecoins—without sacrificing compliance controls or customer ownership.