Bringing BlackRock's tokenized treasury fund to Southeast Asia
Velo integrated BlackRock's tokenized treasury fund (BUIDL) into USDV's reserves, bringing institutional-grade yield and access to the region.
Overview
Velo Labs integrated BlackRock's USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), tokenized by Securitize, into the reserves backing its USDV stablecoin. The move positions Velo as a leader in tokenized real-world assets (RWA) across Southeast Asia's Web3 economy.
The challenge
Southeast Asia has long faced barriers to high-quality, yield-bearing financial products. Retail users and businesses across the region often struggle to access reliable, bankless value storage and affordable cross-border transactions. The opportunity was to bridge traditional banking and the Web3 economy while keeping institutional-grade security and yield.
The solution
Velo used its payment app and ecosystem to give users:
- Everyday utility. Over 1 million users and vendors can transact in USDV for payments, remittances, and cross-border transfers.
- Institutional-grade yield. USDV holders earn returns that mirror the underlying treasury fund.
- 24/7 off-ramping. Instant local-currency withdrawals through licensed bank partnerships.
- More ways to put capital to work. Traders on Universe and Velo Finance gain access to liquidity pools, staking, and yield strategies.
The results
The integration expanded financial access across Southeast Asia, broadened USDV's utility from payments into trading and DeFi, and strengthened Velo's position as a key RWA player alongside its gold and treasury tokenization work.
Why it matters
By opening access to financial instruments that were previously out of reach, Velo advances institutional Web3 adoption in the region and sets a precedent for future collaboration between traditional finance and Web3.