A gig worker in Manila completes a day of deliveries via Grab, Southeast Asia’s super-app, earning $45, which must be deposited into her mobile wallet by evening to pay bills. Before Thunes, this scenario meant waiting 3-5 days for international transfers through correspondent banking, with fees consuming 10% of earnings. Instead, Grab uses Thunes’ Direct Global Network to instantly credit her GCash mobile wallet, with transparent fees and full traceability. This change represents why Thunes, a cross-border payment infrastructure provider, earned the 2026 Global Recognition Award for making global money movement as fast and straightforward as local payments. Founded in 2019 by Peter De Caluwe following the split from TransferTo, Thunes has raised over $280 million, including a $150 million Series D, and has built a Direct Global Network reaching 7 billion mobile wallets and bank accounts across 130+ countries, with 99% real-time delivery for mobile wallet transactions.

Technical Innovation and Architecture

Thunes’ proprietary Direct Global Network bypasses traditional correspondent banking to connect directly with mobile wallets, bank accounts, cards, and stablecoin wallets through a single API integration. The architecture connects to over 7 billion mobile wallets and bank accounts, plus 15 billion cards, via more than 320 different payment methods, including GCash, M-Pesa, Airtel, MTN, Orange, JazzCash, Easypaisa, Alipay, and WeChat Pay. The network supports 80+ currencies and provides transparent foreign exchange management, delivering near-instant cross-border payments via direct connectivity to over 60 real-time banking systems. Real-time settlement occurs across major corridors such as EU–Philippines, UK–Kenya, and US–India, with 99% real-time delivery for mobile wallet transactions, in contrast to 3-5-day traditional bank transfers.

The platform integrates three proprietary systems: the SmartX Treasury System, providing 24/7 liquidity management across fiat and digital assets; the Fortress Compliance Platform, ensuring transparency and regulatory compliance with 50+ licenses globally; and the Direct Global Network infrastructure itself. The October 2025 launch of stablecoin payout capabilities supporting USDC and USDT positioned Thunes at the forefront of convergence between traditional finance and digital assets, enabling real-time, 24/7 transfers to millions of stablecoin wallets through the same API used for fiat payments. The September 2025 SWIFT integration enabled 11,000 banks within the SWIFT network to access Thunes’ network without additional integration, expanding reach to 4 billion bank accounts globally. Deputy CEO Chloé Mayenobe emphasized the platform’s “predictive intelligence” capabilities in treasury management and network optimization, suggesting machine learning models informing liquidity allocation and risk management.

Market Strategy and Leadership

Peter De Caluwe, Co-Founder, CEO, and Deputy Chairman, founded Thunes in 2019 following the split of TransferTo (a financial tech company with established emerging market relationships) into Thunes for B2B solutions and DT One for consumer services. De Caluwe previously led TransferTo, establishing deep expertise in mobile wallet ecosystems and emerging market payments infrastructure. He stepped back to Deputy Chairman in early 2024 but returned as CEO in August 2025, bringing operational focus to the company’s expansion phase. De Caluwe led fundraising totaling over $280 million from elite investors including GGV Capital (Series A leader with China/Asia expertise), Helios Investment Partners (Series B leader with Africa focus), Insight Partners, Apis Partners, and Vitruvian Partners (Series D co-leaders).

The Series D raised $150 million in April-July 2025, completed “in record time and at a higher valuation than previous rounds” despite challenging market conditions. De Caluwe stated that this achievement, “in one of the toughest capital market environments,” represents “clear validation of the strategy, foundations, and the Direct Global Network we’ve built.” Chloé Mayenobe, appointed Deputy CEO in December 2025, emphasized the company is “at a pivotal moment where operational rigour must meet aggressive strategic expansion,” focusing on leveraging the network “to unlock new revenue streams, integrating predictive intelligence into our decision-making.” Elite customers validate enterprise adoption: Uber, Deliveroo, Grab, WeChat, First Abu Dhabi Bank (announced November 2025 partnership for real-time cross-border payments to 130+ countries), United Nations Federal Credit Union, D360 Bank (achieving faster international transfers than local ones), and Equity Bank.

Industry Impact and Future Vision

Thunes addresses fundamental cross-border payment inefficiencies: multi-day settlement times via correspondent banking, opaque pricing with hidden fees at each intermediary, limited transparency and traceability, limited reach into emerging-market mobile wallet ecosystems where billions lack traditional bank accounts, and regulatory complexity across jurisdictions. By connecting directly to mobile wallets, banks, and digital assets rather than routing through correspondent banking networks, Thunes delivers 99% real-time delivery, versus 3-5-day industry norms. D360 Bank Executive Director Sadeq Al Thawab stated: “We are proud now to have faster international transfers than the local ones – we sent a transaction to the UK, and it completed in less than one minute.”

The platform’s financial inclusion impact manifests through its support for 120 mobile wallet brands representing 3 billion mobile wallet accounts, helping address populations lacking traditional banking infrastructure. Grab Head of GrabPay Jason Thompson explained: “Thunes’ extensive global payments network has allowed us to offer faster daily earnings to these invaluable partners. Thunes seamlessly took care of the entire set-up and integration process, allowing us to focus on our market strategy and better serving our users.” CEO Peter De Caluwe frames the mission as making “financial services affordable and accessible to everyone.” With $280M+ funding including $150M Series D at increased valuation, Direct Global Network reaching 7 billion endpoints with 99% real-time mobile wallet delivery, SWIFT integration providing 11,000 banks access to 4 billion bank accounts, stablecoin bridge integrating USDC/USDT through same API as fiat payments, 50+ licenses enabling compliant operations globally, elite customers including Uber, Grab, major banks, and super-apps, $150 trillion B2B payments addressable market, and mission-driven financial inclusion focus, Thunes has established itself as critical infrastructure enabling the next generation of global commerce—achievements justifying 2026 Global Recognition Award.