Fastest growing global finance super app Abound chooses Monad to power its next phase of growth. Aug 25, 2026, 04:37 ET Riding record growth after crossing $500 Million in remittances, the super-app built for global Indians announces its next chapter - including a brand-new wallet product, with the waitlist opening soon SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Abound, the super-app for Indians in the US backed by Times Internet (Times of India Group), grew past $500 Million in remittance volumes served in the last year, with US and India markets accounting for the bulk of volumes. Abound is excited to announce the next phase of products being built to serve the global Indian diaspora better. The next chapter will be built on Monad, the next-generation Layer 1 blockchain enabling open access to fair financial markets. With Monad's technology, it is the best option for Abound's use cases. What began as a smarter way to send money home has evolved into a comprehensive super app for NRI life spanning cross-border payments, savings, and everyday benefits designed around the needs of Indians living in the US. Abound has become one of the platforms Indians in the US trust to move and manage money across two countries, with over $500 million in volume served. Abound now plans to serve Indians across the world and expand support with newer products better suited to their changing needs. A New Roadmap for the global Indian Building on this momentum, Abound today unveiled the next chapter of its product vision: * A new wallet product: a single home for Indians overseas to hold, move, and manage money across both countries' multi-currency balances, and instant transfers between US and India accounts, with support for more countries coming soon. Waitlist opens soon; the product launches in Q3 2026. * New ways to earn and save: interest-bearing savings and investment accounts, giving NRIs more ways to put their money to work. * AI agent-led workflows, including the agentic payment protocol x402 to power the next chapter of Abound's upcoming product suite. Monad Foundation is a premier member of the x402 Foundation. "Abound has become the platform Indians in the US trust to move money home; we have moved $500 million since launch" said Nishkaam Mehta, CEO, Abound. "This roadmap is about building agents to seamlessly manage the NRIs entire financial life, with the trust of our community at the center of everything we do." "Abound is embarking on an ambitious journey to build a full set of agentic financial services and cross border platform for NRIs along its distribution via Times of India. We're excited to see Abound leverage Monad's technology to help accelerate at their efforts into the next chapter," said Raj Parekh, Head of Payments & Stablecoins. Powered by Next-Generation Technology Abound's upcoming product suite will be built on Monad. Monad is a high-performance, institutional-grade Layer 1 blockchain enabling open access to rewards, AI agents, and fair financial markets on neutral ground. The integration gives Abound the technology foundation to serve the Indian diaspora at scale - with the performance and reliability a community of global earners expects. Monad's technology underpins Abound's expanded capabilities as the platform scales into its next chapter. SOURCE Abound

Seoul office begins with crypto focus. Leading operations from the new office will be Park Sung-mo, a16z Crypto's Asia-Pacific go-to-market lead. Park, who was appointed when the firm's Asia expansion plans were announced in December, previously worked at Naver and the Monad Foundation. Park said the firm focuses on helping portfolio companies grow and enter new markets rather than providing capital alone. He added that the Seoul office will actively support portfolio companies seeking opportunities in South Korea and across Asia. The opening adds another step to a16z's increasing activity in technology sectors across the region. In May, Bloomberg reported that a16z led a $250 million funding round for AI search startup Exa Labs, valuing the company at $2.2 billion. Exa develops search infrastructure designed for AI systems and positions its platform as a search engine built specifically for artificial intelligence applications. Interest in financial infrastructure has also remained a priority for the firm. Earlier this month, a16z Crypto invested $100 million as part of a $355 million funding round for Digital Asset Holdings, the company behind Canton Network. Other participants included Citadel Securities, Apollo, BNP Paribas, HSBC, CME Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Optiver, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Digital Asset said the funding will support ecosystem growth, partnerships, and acquisitions. The company has promoted Canton Network as a blockchain platform for tokenized assets and institutional finance, with reported support for more than $6 trillion in tokenized issuance. Alongside investments in AI infrastructure and tokenized finance, a16z said it intends to contribute to South Korea's startup ecosystem by creating opportunities between its portfolio companies and local businesses, using Seoul as a gateway for expansion across Asia.