이미지 불러오는 중PNC partners with Coinbase, eyes potential stablecoin payments

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The Pittsburgh-based bank plans to extend its Coinbase relationship beyond Bitcoin trading into stablecoin payments for clients

Mon 9 Nov 2026 · 09:14 EST · 2 min read

In Technology

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PNC plans to offer stablecoin payments to its clients through its partnership with Coinbase.

That takes the relationship past Bitcoin trading and into everyday money movement.

What PNC is planning

PNC will offer stablecoin payments to clients, and Coinbase is the partner that makes it possible. The bank has not made launch timing, eligible client groups or supported tokens part of the announcement.

Stablecoins are crypto tokens designed to hold a steady value, usually pegged to a currency like the dollar. They move on blockchain rails instead of through traditional bank plumbing.

The plan builds on infrastructure PNC already uses. In July 2025, the bank announced it would integrate Coinbase’s Crypto-as-a-Service platform, known as CaaS.

CaaS lets a bank plug into Coinbase’s trading and custody technology instead of building its own.

That July 22, 2025, deal was designed to let PNC clients buy, hold and sell digital assets. It ran in both directions: PNC would also provide treasury and banking services to Coinbase.

From Bitcoin first to payments next

The partnership’s first visible product was Bitcoin, not stablecoins. On December 9, 2025, PNC began offering direct spot Bitcoin trading and custody to eligible PNC Private Bank clients.

That rollout made PNC the first major US bank to offer direct spot Bitcoin trading inside its investment accounts. Clients did not need a separate crypto platform or an exchange-traded fund to get exposure.

This mattered because PNC historically had minimal exposure to digital assets.

Stablecoins were already on the table, at least in conversation. PNC CEO William Demchak had alluded to future possibilities for stablecoins, particularly their use as a payment option.

The stated core goals of the PNC and Coinbase integration include security, scalability and compliance.

Coinbase’s growing bank roster

PNC is not Coinbase’s only banking partner exploring stablecoins. Citi announced a separate collaboration with Coinbase focused on stablecoin-based payment capabilities around September or October 2026.

Coinbase has also broadened its outreach to various large banks. The goal is to make CaaS the default backend for traditional institutions that want crypto features without building them in-house.

What this means for banks, clients and Coinbase

The research behind this story points to potential expansion of the partnership, particularly for broader institutional accounts in 2026.

The rollout pattern from the Bitcoin product offers a hint. PNC started with eligible Private Bank clients rather than its full customer base.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Diego Almada Lopez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.