Nodu, a stablecoin infrastructure startup making digital assets work within traditional finance, announced today that it has closed a $1.45 million pre-seed round led by Digital Space Ventures. Nodu’s long-term vision is to connect over 170 countries into one seamless payment network, where stablecoins act as the universal bridge between currencies, systems, and economies.

Money moves faster than ever — except when it crosses borders. Despite major advances in digital payments, international transfers remain slow, expensive, and fragmented. Stablecoins could fix that, yet banks and fintechs still face access challenges. The technology is complex, regulation is unclear, and compliance is heavy.

That’s the problem Alex Novozhenov and his co-founders Vladislav Nikolayev and Daria Dubinina kept running into while building Crassula, a Latvia-based European fintech platform that processed over €600 billion for more than 150 clients.

“Day after day, we saw the same challenge,” says Alex Novozhenov, Nodu’s CEO and co-founder. “Banks wanted to join the digital-asset economy, but lacked safe, compliant tools. Nodu was built to change that. With stablecoins, global payments should take seconds, not days — and cost cents, not tens of dollars. Our mission is to make that infrastructure invisible, automatic, and globally accessible.”

To achieve this, Nodu provides banks, fintechs, and businesses with a ready-to-use global compliance and payments framework for stablecoins, allowing them to launch services without building their own infrastructure. Clients can send, receive, and hold stablecoins as easily as traditional money, all while compliance and reporting happen automatically in the background. The platform merges fiat and crypto rails into one regulated flow, linking European institutions with worldwide payment and blockchain networks.

One of Nodu’s key differentiators is its stablecoin off-ramp capabilities — available in 100+ countries, enabling instant, low-cost fiat payouts and transforming cross-border remittances.

As EU banks face pressure to digitalise and bolster revenue, the timing is ideal. Nodu removes key technical and regulatory barriers by giving institutions a fast, compliant path into digital assets — enabling new revenue streams and scalable services without the burden of new licenses or large engineering investments.

“The world is shifting toward digital money and programmable finance, and regulations like MiCA are bringing clarity to the market. By 2030, most major currencies are expected to exist in stablecoin form. Banks, PSPs, and fintechs are now looking for reliable partners to bridge fiat and stablecoin ecosystems — and Nodu is building the rails that will move the industry forward. That’s why we’re proud to support them,” said Andrei Popov, Managing Partner of Digital Space Ventures.

Nodu didn’t start from scratch. Prior to commencing operations, the founders had 40+ Crassula clients and 20+ partners ready to adopt the platform, plus a strong network of 15,500+ industry contacts. With 160 new applicants per month — 30% seeking financial services — Nodu is positioned for immediate traction and scalable growth across Europe’s digital finance ecosystem.

With fresh funding, Nodu will expand its global coverage, grow its engineering and compliance teams, and strengthen partnerships with banks and fintechs.

Headquartered in London, with an office in Latvia and operations across Europe, Nodu operates on B2B2B and B2B2C models, generating revenue through transaction fees and subscriptions.