Shield

Shield is a business-to-business (B2B) financial technology company that operates as a crypto neo-bank for global trade businesses. It provides a platform for international payments using stablecoins, alongside business payment accounts and banking services for international wholesalers and business credit cards. The company aims to bridge traditional finance with digital assets by enabling businesses, particularly exporters and importers, to accept cryptocurrency payments and receive fiat settlement in currencies like the U.S. dollar or Euro.^[1][5][6]

Overview

Shield operates as a crypto neo-bank designed specifically to address persistent challenges in international trade finance, such as slow wire transfer settlement times, high transaction fees, and the frequent closure of bank accounts for businesses moving large sums internationally. The platform's core function is to allow businesses to invoice and accept payments in U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoins, primarily Tether (USDT), and then convert these digital assets into traditional currency that is wired to the business's bank account. This model is intended to leverage the speed of blockchain transactions to facilitate faster and more reliable cross-border commerce.^[1]​^[4]​

The company was founded on the premise of creating a practical, real-world application for blockchain technology beyond speculative trading, born from the founders' own difficult experiences as former exporters. The company highlights the lived reality for many international traders with statements like, “My bank accounts get closed every 6 months,” explaining that traditional compliance systems are often not designed for the large, complex transactions typical of global trade, leading to frozen funds and blocked growth.^[4]

By providing a compliant and efficient on-ramp and off-ramp between stablecoins and fiat, Shield positions itself as an infrastructure layer for global trade. The company targets U.S. exporters, international buyers, wholesalers, and other businesses seeking to integrate digital asset payments into their operations. The company is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and maintains a regulated presence in both the United States and the European Economic Area.^[1]​^[2]​^[3]​

Shield's current company materials present a broader offering than stablecoin payment acceptance and fiat settlement: business payment accounts and banking services for international wholesalers, USDT payments, and business credit cards. As of October 2026, Shield reports more than $600 million processed, over 10,000 transactions, and service in 120+ countries.^[5]​^[7]​

History

Shield was founded in 2022 by co-founders Emmanuel Udotong, Isaiah Udotong, and Luis Carchi. The founders' inspiration for the company stemmed from their own prior experiences with the difficulties of conducting cross-border business, which highlighted the inefficiencies of the traditional banking system for international trade. The company initially launched in 2022 and, in 2024, pivoted its business model to concentrate specifically on B2B payments, refining its focus on serving importers and exporters.^[2][4]

The company secured its first major funding in April 2023, raising $2.1 million in a pre-seed round. This initial capital helped establish its core product and market presence.

A more significant funding milestone was announced on September 22, 2025, when Shield closed a $5 million seed round. This round was led by Giant Ventures, with participation from existing investors a16z crypto CSX and new backers like Factor Capital, alongside strategic angel investors from Bank of America, Coinbase, AMEX, and Menlo Ventures. The new capital was earmarked for expanding the company's licensing coverage, enhancing its compliance infrastructure, launching new banking products, and entering new trade industries.^[4]

By the time of its seed round announcement, Shield's total funding amounted to $7 million. In its first year of operations, the company reported processing over $150 million in cross-border payments.^[1][2][4]

Current Shield materials describe an expanded product suite that includes business payment accounts and business cards.^[5][6]

Technology and Product Features

Shield's platform integrates several financial services to facilitate crypto-to-fiat transactions for businesses. Its technology stack is designed to offer a comprehensive solution for B2B cross-border payments.

Core Platform

The platform's functionality is built around three main components:

• Stablecoin Payment Acceptance: Businesses can accept payments in digital assets, with a primary focus on USDT. The platform supports USDT on multiple blockchains, including Ethereum (ERC-20), Tron (TRC-20), and Binance Smart Chain (BEP-20), providing flexibility for international clients.
• Fiat Settlement: Shield says it converts USDT and other virtual currencies into USD and pays out by wire or ACH. It reports that wires typically settle within minutes to a few hours, while ACH transfers settle in 1–3 business days.^[7]
• Business Payment Accounts: Shield describes business payment accounts with U.S. routing and account numbers, USD and USDT balances, wire and ACH transfers, and digital-currency transactions. Its named business virtual accounts can receive payments. Customers can set an automatic transfer to move funds when a chosen USD threshold is reached, on a selected schedule. Shield says its payment account is not FDIC insured.^[6]
• B2B Digital Asset Exchange: An integrated exchange allows businesses to buy, sell, and swap digital assets directly within the Shield ecosystem.

The platform's infrastructure is supported by Alchemy, as indicated by an "Alchemy Supercharged" badge on the company's website.^[1]

Business Credit Cards

Shield offers business charge cards for trade businesses. Shield says it partners with CapitalOS, and First Internet Bank of Indiana issues the cards under a Visa license. The cards are pay-in-full; Shield says qualification and potential credit increases are assessed using business performance. Cashback is administered by CapitalOS and may change under its program terms.^[5][1]

Integration Methods

To accommodate different business workflows, Shield offers several methods for integrating its payment gateway:

• Payment Buttons: Embeddable buttons that can be placed on a website or e-commerce store.
• Payment Links: Shareable links, similar in style to those offered by Stripe, that direct customers to a payment page.
• WooCommerce Plugin: A dedicated plugin is available for businesses operating on the WooCommerce e-commerce platform, allowing for direct integration into their online stores.^[1]

Pricing Model

Shield's pricing structure is designed to be accessible for businesses of various sizes. There is no upfront cost or fee for integrating the platform. The company previously advertised transaction fees starting at 1%, decreasing as a business's transaction volume increases. Its Terms of Service, last updated January 19, 2026, state that fees are set per client in a specific agreement and disclosed before a transaction is completed.^[1][8]

Security and Compliance

Shield emphasizes its regulatory compliance and security measures as a core part of its value proposition, aiming to build trust with businesses accustomed to traditional financial systems. The company notes that it has verticalized its compliance for global trade flows, embedding controls and risk assessments tailored to legitimate exporters to minimize false positives.^[4]

Regulatory Licensing

Shield identifies itself as a financial-technology company, not a bank. Its U.S. business payment account is not FDIC insured.^[6]

• United States: Shield Security, Inc. is registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).^[1]
• European Economic Area (EEA): Services for EEA residents are provided through its Polish entity, Shield Security Sp. Z.o.o. (KRS: 0001100857), which is licensed as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in Poland under license number RDWW-1281.^[1][3]

Risk Management and Monitoring

To meet its regulatory obligations and protect its platform, Shield employs a multi-layered approach to risk management.

• Identity Verification: Shield describes verification of businesses, beneficial owners, and individuals. Its Terms of Service state that identity verification may involve Persona, Beam, or Bridge.^[9][8]
• Screening and Monitoring: Shield describes screening against OFAC, UN, EU, and UK HM Treasury lists; review of source of funds and business purpose; transaction-pattern monitoring; and blockchain wallet screening. It conducts enhanced due diligence and ongoing review for higher-risk accounts.^[9]
• Security Controls: Shield lists AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.2 or higher for data in transit, enforced internal MFA, Halborn as its security auditor, and SOC 2 Type I readiness as in progress.^[9]
• Compliance Expansion: Following its seed funding round, the company announced plans to further invest in its compliance product by expanding its licensing, upgrading its fraud detection systems, and increasing the size of its compliance team.^[1][2]

Insurance

Current company materials describe up to $1 million of annual coverage for crime, cyberhacks, and other common risks, underwritten by Lloyd's of London and AmTrust. This coverage is distinct from deposit insurance; Shield says its U.S. business payment account is not FDIC insured.^[9][6][5]

Partnerships

Shield collaborates with several technology and financial service providers to deliver its platform. It is also an alumnus of the a16z crypto CSX accelerator program.^[4]

• Persona: Provides identity verification technology for the company's KYC and KYB compliance procedures.
• Elliptic: Offers blockchain analytics and transaction monitoring tools to help Shield detect and prevent illicit financial activity.
• Alchemy: A blockchain development platform that supports Shield's technical infrastructure.
• Bridge Building Inc.: A licensed money transmitter (NMLS # 2450917) that provides money transmission services for Shield's U.S.-based clients.
• Banking Partners: Shield is a financial technology company, not a bank. Its banking services are provided through licensed partners, including Cross River Bank and Lead Bank. The company plans to use its seed funding to establish additional banking relationships.^[1][3][2][4]
• Card Partners: Shield says it partners with CapitalOS for its business card product; First Internet Bank of Indiana issues the cards under a Visa license.^[5]

Team

Shield was co-founded by three individuals:

• Emmanuel Udotong: Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He serves as the primary spokesperson for the company.
• Isaiah Udotong: Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO).
• Luis Carchi: Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

The founding team consists of brothers Emmanuel and Isaiah Udotong, along with their college friend, Luis Carchi. Their collective background includes experience from MIT, Princeton, Facebook, and McKinsey. Before founding Shield, the team operated export businesses, moving commodities between the U.S., South America, Africa, and Asia, which provided them with direct insight into the challenges of global trade finance.^[2][4]

Shield’s founder profile, published August 19, 2026, describes Emmanuel as a Princeton graduate and former Pinterest software engineer. It says he advised a U.S. bank with more than $200 billion in assets under management on risk and compliance frameworks at McKinsey, and co-founded a Y Combinator-backed supply-chain company that generated over $35 million in revenue. The profile describes Luis as a Princeton graduate who spent three years on Facebook’s product team, helped launch Secret Conversations, and ran an electronics import business between the United States and Ecuador. It describes Isaiah as an MIT-trained engineer and two-time founder whose ventures processed hundreds of millions in trade volume. The profile also says he co-founded Releaf, which develops industrial food-processing systems and was backed by Y Combinator and Breakthrough Energy Ventures.^[10]