Hercle
Hercle is an institutional-grade infrastructure provider, founded in 2019 and headquartered in Milan, that bridges fiat currencies, stablecoins, and digital assets for cross-border settlement and trading. It serves 200+ banks, brokers, PSPs, MTOs, fintechs, and corporate treasuries across 35+ markets via a single API.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersMilano, Italy
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Hercle does
Hercle is a Milan-headquartered, venture-backed infrastructure provider founded in 2019 that builds institutional-grade rails for cross-border settlement across fiat currencies, stablecoins, and digital assets. Its platform combines deep stablecoin liquidity, local banking integrations, and in-house settlement on distributed ledger technology to deliver sub-five-minute settlement for transaction sizes that traditional correspondent banking cannot handle at speed and that pure stablecoin-native platforms cannot handle at scale. The platform supports 30+ digital assets and 25+ fiat currencies across 35+ markets in 6 regions, and to date has processed more than $20 billion in cumulative transaction volume for over 200 institutional clients.
The product portfolio centres on two core modules, Transfer (cross-border payment infrastructure linking fiat, digital assets, and settlement through one integration) and Trading (end-to-end digital asset trading infrastructure covering liquidity, execution, conversions, settlement, and on/off ramps), supported by a self-service Corridor Coverage Checker and a sandbox environment for client onboarding. Hercle monetises through transaction-based fees on settlement, FX conversion, and trading flows, plus bilaterally negotiated platform access fees under multi-year contracts with banks, brokers, PSPs, MTOs, fintechs, and corporate treasuries. Distribution is API-first enterprise sales with a sandbox-led onboarding motion, complemented by integration partnerships such as Lightspark Grid (for Bitcoin Lightning rails) and Dfns (for wallet infrastructure).
Hercle operates a dual regulatory base, registered as a Virtual Asset Service Provider at Italy's OAM (registration PSV32) through Hercle S.r.l. and engaging in crypto-asset activities in Switzerland through HERCLE SA. In October 2025 the company raised $60 million in combined funding ($10M Series A equity led by F-Prime with Fulgur Ventures and Exponential Science Capital, plus a $50M credit facility), which is being deployed to expand into South America, the Middle East, and Africa, deepen the API stack, and extend the regulatory and integration footprint.
Hercle firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hercle
- Legal name
- Hercle S.r.l.
- Website
- https://hercle.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hercle is an institutional-grade infrastructure provider, founded in 2019 and headquartered in Milan, that bridges fiat currencies, stablecoins, and digital assets for cross-border settlement and trading. It serves 200+ banks, brokers, PSPs, MTOs, fintechs, and corporate treasuries across 35+ markets via a single API.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hercle industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cross-Border Payment Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crypto Payments & Stablecoin Settlement Platforms (BPAMAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Enterprise Payments & Tokenized Money (stablecoins, tokenized deposits, CBDC rails) (FSAPAIAJ), Settlement, Reconciliation & Merchant Treasury Tools (Crypto) (FSADAIAK), Multi-Currency Accounts, Wallets & FX Management (Consumer/SME) (FSAGAKAF)
Keywords
Where Hercle is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milano
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Hercle business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Settlement and Transaction Fees: Revenue generated from processing cross-border settlement transactions across fiat, stablecoins, and digital assets. The platform enables multi-million dollar flows and charges fees for transaction processing, FX conversions, and settlement services.
- Trading Infrastructure Services: Fees for accessing liquidity, execution, conversions, settlement, and on/off ramp services provided through the trading infrastructure platform.
- API and Platform Access: Bilateral negotiated fees for institutional clients accessing the platform, APIs, and dedicated support services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Institutional Services - Custom Pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Hercle product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hercle provides institutional-grade infrastructure that bridges fiat currencies, stablecoins, and digital assets for cross-border settlement. The platform offers two core product lines: Transfer (cross-border payment rails linking fiat, digital assets, and settlement via a single integration with real-time global settlement) and Trading (end-to-end digital asset trading infrastructure providing liquidity, execution, conversions, settlement, and on/off ramps across 30+ digital assets and 25+ fiat currencies).
Product overview
Hercle is an institutional-grade infrastructure platform offering a unified solution bridging fiat currencies, stablecoins, and digital assets for cross-border transactions at scale and in real time. The core product portfolio consists of Transfer (cross-border payment infrastructure) and Trading (digital asset trading infrastructure), supported by the Corridor Coverage Checker for route availability verification and a Sandbox environment for API integration testing. The platform processes over $20 billion in transaction volume, settling 90% of transactions in under five minutes, with availability 24/7 powered by 99.95% uptime.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Transfer Cross-border payment infrastructure solution linking fiat, digital assets, and settlement with one integration. Powers the rails behind global payments for PSPs, MTOs, and fintechs, supporting payins/payouts, on/off ramps across 25+ currencies, and real-time global settlement with post-trade options.
- Trading End-to-end digital asset trading infrastructure providing liquidity, execution, conversions, settlement, and on/off ramps with compliance built in. Access to 30+ digital assets at competitive pricing and depth for brokers, trading desks, asset managers, banks, and fintechs.
- Corridor Coverage Checker Self-service web tool enabling users to check real-time corridor availability, status, and virtual account support by selecting origin and destination currencies. Covers 30+ markets across 6 regions with 900+ possible currency corridors.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% of transactions settle in under 5 minutes vs. 3-5 days for traditional banking
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Hercle
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Hercle technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature5 records
Hercle partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- DfnscoreDfns wallet infrastructure integration enhances Hercle's custody and wallet capabilities for institutional clients.
- LightsparkflagshipStrategic partnership making Hercle Lightspark Grid's first Euro-liquidity partner. The partnership enables instant Bitcoin-to-Euro and Bitcoin-to-British-Pound settlement, bridging Lightning Network with European banking rails. Hercle gains wallet-as-a-service access for Lightning Network channels.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hercle competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wise: Wise is a leading cross-border payments platform serving consumers, SMBs, and increasingly enterprises with multi-currency accounts. It competes with Hercle on FX and cross-border rails, but lacks digital asset integration.
- MoneyGram: MoneyGram is a global remittance incumbent that has actively pivoted into stablecoin-based settlement through its own app and partnerships. It competes with Hercle for remittance and PSP corridors but with a much broader consumer-facing brand and agent network.
Direct peers
- Ripple: Ripple is the most prominent institutional cross-border payments and stablecoin (RLUSD) infrastructure provider, competing head-on with Hercle in bridging fiat and digital assets for banks and PSPs across corridors. Both sell institutional settlement rails with API-first integration and target the same buyer profile.
- Circle: Circle issues USDC and EURC — the same stablecoins Hercle uses for settlement — and increasingly offers cross-border payment and treasury services directly. Circle competes with Hercle as both an infrastructure dependency and an emerging competitor in institutional settlement.
- BVNK: BVNK provides stablecoin-based cross-border payment infrastructure for PSPs, MTOs, and fintechs — closely overlapping Hercle's Transfer product and target customer segments. Both platforms position as bridges between fiat and stablecoin rails for institutional money movement.
- Paxos: Paxos issues regulated stablecoins (USDP, PYUSD) and provides tokenization and settlement infrastructure to enterprises and fintechs. The platform competes directly with Hercle in bridging fiat and digital assets for institutional clients under regulated frameworks.
- Bitso Business: Bitso Business provides enterprise cross-border payments and FX using crypto rails across Latin America and expanding globally. It overlaps heavily with Hercle's PSP/MTO and emerging-market corridor coverage, and is led by Hercle's current CRO.
- Banking Circle: Banking Circle offers cross-border payment infrastructure for PSPs, banks, and fintechs with multi-currency accounts and FX. It competes with Hercle's Transfer product on institutional payment rails, though without the digital asset and stablecoin integration layer.
Others
- Fireblocks: Fireblocks provides digital asset custody, settlement, and infrastructure for institutions. It is adjacent to Hercle — Dfns (Hercle's partner) competes directly with Fireblocks on wallet infrastructure, making Fireblocks a comparable ecosystem participant.
Regional players
- Trovata: Trovata offers multi-currency treasury and cash management for corporates, similar to Hercle's corporate treasury segment. While primarily North America-focused, it represents a comparable cross-border treasury management offering for large enterprises.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hercle social profiles
Digital presenceHercle compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Hercle financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hercle leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Hercle funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hercle M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hercle
What does Hercle do?
Hercle provides institutional-grade infrastructure that bridges fiat currencies, stablecoins, and digital assets for cross-border settlement. The platform offers two core product lines: Transfer (cross-border payment rails linking fiat, digital assets, and settlement via a single integration with real-time global settlement) and Trading (end-to-end digital asset trading infrastructure providing liquidity, execution, conversions, settlement, and on/off ramps across 30+ digital assets and 25+ fiat currencies).
Is Hercle a public or private company?
Hercle is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Hercle founded?
Hercle was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hercle based?
Hercle is headquartered in Milano, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Hercle make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Settlement and Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are trading Infrastructure Services and API and Platform Access.
Who are Hercle's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wise and MoneyGram. Direct peers are Ripple, Circle, BVNK, Paxos, Bitso Business and Banking Circle. Fireblocks is listed as an others. Trovata is listed as a regional player.
Does Hercle have an API?
Yes. Hercle provides API access for developers to integrate cross-border payment and digital asset settlement infrastructure. The API enables programmatic access to liquidity, execution, conversions, settlement, and on/off ramps. The platform supports integration via APIs, GUI, Chat, or OEMSs. A sandbox/testnet environment (User Acceptance Testing Environment) is available for testing without commitments. Authentication uses API Keys shared by Hercle with customers, along with 2FA (two-factor authentication). Rate limits and specific versioning details are not publicly documented.
What industry is Hercle in?
Hercle's product category is Cross-Border Payment Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAFAL, Crypto Payments & Stablecoin Settlement Platforms, with a secondary code of FSAPAIAJ, Enterprise Payments & Tokenized Money (stablecoins, tokenized deposits, CBDC rails). Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6200.