1 month ago
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When Caribbean founders step into fintech, it’s often because they’ve lived the problems themselves. For Rawle Annandsingh, innovation ecosystem builder, serial entrepreneur, Web3 FinTech founder, and Managing Director of Founder Institute Caribbean-that’s exactly the case with his latest venture: xBordr.
Why This One Feels Different
Annandsingh officially soft-launched xBordr recently, marking the start of what he calls a new chapter in his founder journey.
“I’ve started companies before, but this one feels different,” he shares. “For the first time, I get to merge two parts of myself: the serial entrepreneur who knows the grind first-hand, and the ecosystem builder guiding founders across the region. Living on both sides makes me a more empathetic builder, and it’s why this venture hits close to home.”
The Spark That Lit the Fire
In late 2024, two thought-pieces from Y Combinator and Andreessen Horowitz made the case for stablecoin finance. For Annandsingh, the argument landed hard.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, FX volatility, high fees, and long settlement delays aren’t abstract-they’re everyday headaches for thousands of businesses. For tourism, one of the region’s largest industries, the pain is especially acute.
“This wasn’t just theory,” he recalls. “It was our reality. And it deserved a real solution.”
From Research to Building
That realization led to a deep dive into Web3 FinTech. Drawing on his early roots in hospitality at St. Thomas University in Miami, Annandsingh knew the tourism sector would be the right first market.
Through YC’s Co-Founder Matching Platform, he connected with Manish Balakrishnan, now xBordr’s Co-Founder & CTO. Together, they incorporated via Every, opened their first account at SVB (one of the most stablecoin-friendly banks), and built the product on top of Bridge (a Stripe company).
All of it-bootstrapped.
What xBordr Does
Now in beta, xBordr is opening its waitlist to tourism businesses across the region.
The platform makes instant, low-cost cross-border payments possible with stablecoins. That means:
- No FX volatility eating away at margins
- No outrageous transaction fees
- No waiting days for settlement
Instead, tourism businesses get healthier cash flow, stronger balance sheets, and room to grow.
What’s Next
xBordr will go fully live before the end of Q4 2025. Until then, the team is inviting tourism operators and businesses to join the early access waitlist at xbordr.com.
For Annandsingh, the mission goes beyond tourism and beyond stablecoins.
“The Caribbean deserves more than band-aid solutions,” he says. “We deserve financial infrastructure that works for us, not against us. xBordr is our shot at building it.”
SiliconCaribe Take:
Caribbean fintech founders are no longer waiting for global players to include the region in their plans. Ventures like xBordr are a reminder that the next wave of regional innovation will come from those who know the problems intimately and are bold enough to build global-grade solutions from the ground up.
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