Product Keynote: KAST

Nearly 18 months after launching at Breakpoint Singapore, KAST is doubling down on its ambitious mission to become one of the world's largest global banks built entirely on stablecoins and crypto infrastructure by 2040. At Breakpoint 2025, CEO Raagulan Pathy revealed a suite of new features that bring that vision significantly closer to reality.

Summary

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KAST has evolved dramatically from its initial launch as a crypto-friendly card service. The platform now offers US dollar virtual accounts with SWIFT integration, enabling users to send and receive payments across 125 countries. Perhaps most notably, SWIFT transfers over $5,000 are completely free—a remarkable departure from traditional banking fees that typically eat into international transfers.

The company demonstrated its new Cast Tag feature, an instant payment system that allows users to send money using tags, email addresses, or phone numbers to anyone worldwide. Positioning itself as a global alternative to Cash App or Venmo, KAST is building infrastructure that solves a fundamental problem for crypto-native workers: the painful process of setting up traditional bank accounts when moving between countries.

With over 150 developers now working on the platform and a dedicated financial partnerships team, KAST is expanding rapidly into local payment rails across 55 countries. This means users will soon be able to pay using region-specific methods like Pix in Brazil, UPI in India, or GrabPay in Singapore—all from a single app. The company also announced a savings feature launching imminently in partnership with Gauntlet, offering approximately 7% yields with plans for liquid spending and crypto-backed borrowing.

Key Points

Cast Tag: Instant Global Payments

The headline feature demonstrated at Breakpoint was Cast Tag, KAST's answer to peer-to-peer payment apps like Venmo and Cash App. During a live demo, Pathy showed how users can instantly send money to other Cast users using just their Cast Tag, email address, or phone number. The transaction completed in seconds, with Face ID authentication for security.

What makes Cast Tag different from existing P2P payment solutions is its global scope. While Venmo and Cash App are largely limited to US users, Cast Tag works across borders, leveraging stablecoin infrastructure to move money instantly worldwide. This positions KAST as a potentially transformative solution for the growing population of remote workers, digital nomads, and crypto-native professionals who regularly need to send money internationally.

Local Payment Rail Integration

KAST is integrating with local payment systems in 55 countries, allowing users to pay and transact using familiar regional methods. This includes QR code payments for Pix in Brazil, UPI in India, and GrabPay in Singapore, with more integrations planned.

This approach acknowledges that truly global banking requires more than just international transfers—it requires meeting users where they are with the payment methods they already trust. By building connections to these diverse payment rails, KAST can offer functionality that traditional banks struggle to provide, making it genuinely useful for users who move between countries frequently.

Savings Feature Powered by Gauntlet

Launching within days of the announcement, KAST's savings feature represents a partnership with Gauntlet, one of the most established names in DeFi risk management. The feature will offer approximately 7% yields on deposits, significantly higher than traditional savings accounts.

Beyond simple savings, KAST plans to introduce liquid spending capabilities from savings balances and the ability to borrow against cryptocurrency holdings. This creates a more complete banking experience that bridges traditional finance expectations with DeFi capabilities, all while maintaining the simplicity of a mobile app interface.

KAST for Business

The waitlist is now open for Cast for Business, which will allow companies to set up business accounts on the platform. Employees can receive their own Cast cards, and businesses can pay their teams instantly regardless of where they're located globally.

Pathy compared the offering to established corporate expense management solutions like Ramp or Brex, but with a truly global footprint. For companies with distributed international teams, this could eliminate the complexity of managing payroll across multiple countries and banking systems.

Vision for 2040

KAST is explicit about its long-term ambitions: becoming one of the largest global banks in the world, built entirely on stablecoins and crypto infrastructure. Pathy acknowledged this isn't something that can be built overnight, setting 2040 as the target horizon for achieving this vision.

The company is investing heavily in development capacity and financial partnerships to accelerate progress. With 150+ developers and an expanding partnerships team, KAST is positioning itself as a serious challenger to traditional banking rather than just another crypto payment card.

Facts + Figures

• KAST launched officially at Breakpoint Singapore approximately 18 months ago
• The company now has over 150 developers working on the platform
• Users can send SWIFT payments to 125+ countries
• SWIFT transfers over $5,000 are completely free with no percentage fees
• Local payment rail integrations are available or coming to 55 countries
• The savings feature offers approximately 7% yields in partnership with Gauntlet
• Every user can obtain a US dollar virtual account
• Cast Tag enables instant payments via tag, email, or phone number globally
• The platform supports QR code payments for regional systems like Brazil's Pix
• KAST has a solid gold card available for select users
• The company is targeting 2040 to become one of the world's largest global banks
• Cast for Business waitlist is now open
• The savings feature launches within days of the Breakpoint announcement
• Payments are supported to over 200 countries through SWIFT

Top quotes

• "Becoming one of the largest global banks in the world. Built on top of stablecoins and crypto infrastructure. This is not a very thing that can be built overnight."

• "Banking hasn't kept up. If you look at most people in the room, they're crypto native people. They work remotely. They move countries. Every time they move to a country, trying to set up a bank account. In the best of countries, it's a pain. In the worst of countries, it's merely impossible."

• "SWIFT payout to over 125 countries. So you can send dollars via SWIFT, which I think is groundbreaking. By the way, it's completely free right now. To send SWIFT if it's more than $5,000, no fees, no percentage at all."

• "Think of it like a Cash App or Venmo, but for the whole world."

• "We essentially are trying to build something that's better than a bank."

• "It's like a Ramp or a Brex, but imagine a full global version of that."

Questions Answered

What is KAST and what problem does it solve?

KAST is a financial platform built on stablecoins and crypto infrastructure that aims to provide banking services for people who move between countries or work remotely. The core problem it addresses is the difficulty crypto-native workers face when trying to set up traditional bank accounts in new countries. Whether it's time-consuming bureaucracy in developed nations or near-impossible requirements in others, traditional banking hasn't adapted to serve globally mobile professionals. KAST provides a consistent banking experience regardless of location, with a US dollar account, international payments, and local payment integrations all accessible through one app.

How does Cast Tag work for sending money?

Cast Tag is KAST's instant payment feature that allows users to send money to anyone using their Cast Tag username, email address, or phone number. The sender simply searches for the recipient's details, enters the amount, authenticates with Face ID, and the money transfers instantly. Unlike regional P2P payment apps like Venmo or Cash App that only work domestically, Cast Tag operates globally, enabling instant transfers between users anywhere in the world. This makes it particularly useful for international teams, families spread across countries, or anyone who needs to send money quickly without waiting for traditional bank transfer times.

What makes KAST's SWIFT payments different from traditional banks?

KAST offers SWIFT payments to over 125 countries with a groundbreaking fee structure: transfers over $5,000 are completely free with no percentage fees. Traditional banks typically charge both fixed fees and percentage-based charges for international SWIFT transfers, which can add up significantly for larger amounts. This fee-free approach for substantial transfers makes KAST potentially much more cost-effective for anyone regularly sending money internationally, whether for business purposes, supporting family abroad, or paying remote contractors.

What is the KAST savings feature and how does it work?

The KAST savings feature is a partnership with Gauntlet, a well-established DeFi risk management firm, offering approximately 7% yields on deposited funds. This rate significantly exceeds what traditional savings accounts offer. Beyond earning interest, KAST plans to enable "liquid spending" from savings balances, meaning users won't have to manually move money between accounts to make purchases. Additionally, the platform will support borrowing against cryptocurrency holdings, allowing users to access liquidity without selling their crypto assets. The feature was set to launch within days of the Breakpoint announcement.

What is KAST for Business and who is it for?

KAST for Business is a corporate offering that allows companies to set up business accounts on the platform, issue Cast cards to employees, and pay their teams instantly regardless of location. The waitlist opened at Breakpoint 2025. It's positioned as a global alternative to corporate expense management platforms like Ramp or Brex, but with truly international capabilities. This makes it particularly valuable for companies with distributed teams across multiple countries, eliminating the complexity of managing international payroll and expense reimbursements through traditional banking channels. Employees receive their own Cast accounts and cards, creating a unified financial experience across the entire organization.

What local payment methods does KAST support?

KAST is integrating with local payment systems in 55 countries, with more planned. This includes QR code payments for Pix in Brazil, UPI in India, GrabPay in Singapore, and other region-specific payment rails. The goal is to ensure that wherever users travel or relocate, they can pay using the local payment method that merchants and individuals in that region actually use. This approach goes beyond simple currency conversion—it provides genuine local functionality that makes KAST practical for daily use in any supported country.