Vantage Bank, a San Antonio community bank that works with Texas businesses, has teamed up with Wyoming’s Custodia Bank to roll out tokenized deposits for U.S. banks. The October 23 announcement puts Texas in front of a shift that could change how businesses move money, replacing slow wire transfers with programmable dollars that settle in seconds on blockchain networks.
The offering is built to fit inside the online banking screens businesses already use. Customers can send digital dollars that move at near real time speeds while their banks keep control of wallets and compliance oversight. After two years of testing and staged transactions, the banks describe the platform as a ready-made option for community and regional banks that want to use blockchain rails without losing their customer relationships.
This is not a test run. Earlier in 2025, the two banks completed what they called the first tokenization of a U.S. bank’s dollar deposits on a permissionless blockchain. They issued, transferred, and redeemed Avit stablecoins for a bank customer within a regulated framework. Follow-up tests included cross-border business payments between the U.S. and Mexico, plus location-triggered transactions that executed when a device entered a set area. Those trials showed how tokenized deposits can cut settlement times from days to seconds while keeping full records for regulators.
The broader digital asset market continues to draw investor interest beyond established cryptocurrencies. Investors exploring early-stage opportunities have been tracking the best 11 crypto presales to invest in, which reflects a sustained appetite for blockchain technology that also underpins tokenized banking solutions.
For Texas companies that operate on tight margins and need cash to move fast, the pitch is practical. Prior commentary around the pilots pointed to cost reductions above 90 percent on some cross-border transactions, thanks to fewer intermediaries and faster finality. While pricing varies by use case, Texas importers, logistics firms and manufacturers are hearing about programmable dollars that move when conditions are met, with records locked to a shared ledger and settlement confirmed almost instantly.
The launch extends beyond a single bank. Custodia and Vantage are building a consortium model that lets other community and regional banks join and issue their own tokenized deposits or payment stablecoins under a shared framework. Trade publications covering the rollout note that the platform connects to bank core systems and keeps banks in control of wallet functions, addressing a concern among institutions wary of third-party crypto apps taking over customer relationships.
Federal policy has shifted too. Earlier this year, regulators removed a rule that required banks to get prior approval before engaging in crypto-related activities. Analysts said the change could speed up pilots for tokenized deposits. Texas banks still face risk controls, but the shift helps explain why more institutions are testing blockchain settlement as part of core payments instead of treating it as a side project.
Businesses in the Texarkana trade area that bank with Texas institutions may see the first practical effects as participating banks add programmable payments for invoicing, escrow style releases tied to delivery confirmations, and instant settlement between trusted partners. With Vantage Bank inviting peers to join, Texas community and regional banks now have a blueprint for blockchain rails that keeps compliance safeguards intact.
-In collaboration with coinspeaker
