Tools · stablecoin neobank
KAST review 2026: a global USD account on stablecoin rails
Updated 16 October 2026 · Tested on the live app for CryptosBeginner
A Global USD Account, Visa cards from free Standard to a 10,000 USD Private tier, Reserve rewards up to 12%, and self-custodial Earn vaults. Here is the honest, screen-by-screen breakdown of KAST, captured inside the app in October 2026.
David Chen · DeFi researcher, CryptosBeginner
Every review is research-led: specs, fees, and availability are checked against official sources before publication and re-checked on every update. Affiliate links never influence verdicts. Last reviewed 16 October 2026.
What KAST is
KAST is a stablecoin neobank built for people who live across borders. Instead of a traditional bank account, you get a Global USD Account funded with stablecoins. You deposit USDT on Solana, hold a dollar balance, spend it with Visa cards anywhere Visa is accepted, send money to other KAST users instantly with a KAST tag, or pay out to bank accounts in 200 countries via SWIFT.
What makes it different from a crypto exchange card is the banking layer around it: a Reserve account that pays daily cash rewards on idle balance, self-custodial Earn vaults for extra yield, global payouts, and a membership program with cashback and Visa Infinite perks. Everything below is captured from the live app in October 2026.
Company background
KAST was founded in July 2024 by Raagulan Pathy, a former Circle executive, and is headquartered in Singapore. In March 2026 it raised an 80 million USD Series A at a 600 million USD valuation, co-led by QED Investors and Left Lane Capital, with participation from Peak XV Partners, HSG, and DST Global Partners. It had previously raised a 10 million USD seed round co-led by HSG and Peak XV Partners.
The company reports more than one million users and nearly 5 billion USD in annualized transaction volume, with availability in more than 190 countries. It has hired over 250 people across engineering, compliance, and operations, drawing talent from Stripe, Revolut, Binance, Circle, and Airwallex.
Important context: KAST is a fintech platform built on stablecoin rails, not a licensed bank. Accounts and cards are provided through its regulated partners, and eligibility plus ID requirements vary by country. The boosted Reserve rates below are promotional, funded by KAST, and scheduled to end in mid-2027, so treat them as a launch incentive rather than a permanent yield.
Membership tiers: Standard, Premium, Private
KAST runs on a membership model with three tiers. Standard is free. Premium costs 1,000 USD per year. Private costs 10,000 USD per year. Each tier raises your cashback, your Reserve reward rate, and the cards you can order. Here is the side-by-side comparison from the app.
| Tier | Standard | Premium | Private |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | 1,000 USD / year | 10,000 USD / year |
| Cashback | 1.5% | 2% | 3% |
| Back in points | Not included | 1% | 2% |
| Reserve reward (annualized) | 8% until mid-2027, then 4% | 10% until mid-2027 | 12% until mid-2027 |
| Cards included | 2 free Standard cards | 1 Premium + 2 Standard cards | 1 Gold Plated + 2 Premium or Standard cards |
| Visa Infinite benefits | No | Yes | Yes |
| VIP Concierge | No | No | Yes |
Whether an upgrade pays for itself depends on your balances and spend. The Premium tier costs 1,000 USD a year, so you need meaningful card spend or a large Reserve balance for the extra cashback and the 2 percentage point Reserve boost to cover it. Private at 10,000 USD a year is aimed at high net worth users who will use the concierge and the full Visa Infinite suite.
Reserve account: daily cash rewards on your balance
The USD Reserve Account is KAST's headline feature. You keep a dollar balance in the app and it earns daily cash rewards with no lock-ups and no limits on access. The current boosted rates run until mid-2027: 8% annualized on Standard (shown in the app as 4% plus a 4% bonus), 10% on Premium, and 12% on Private. After mid-2027 the rate returns to 4%.
Read this before you chase the rate
Cards: the full lineup
KAST issues Visa cards in three design families, gated by membership. Standard members can order the K Card and the Solana Card on Visa Platinum. Premium unlocks the X Card and the Solana Illuma Card on Visa Infinite. Private unlocks the KAST Gold Card, the Solana Gold Card, and the Bitcoin Black Card, all on Visa Infinite.
A virtual card is free and issued instantly for online and in-store purchases through mobile wallets. A physical card costs 40 USD and is delivered to you for global spending and ATM withdrawals. Cards support Google Wallet, and from the card screen you can view details, freeze the card, pull a statement, set a PIN, or cancel it.
Visa Infinite benefits
Premium and Private members get Visa Infinite benefits. The in-app breakdown lists purchase protection up to 20,000 USD, extended warranty up to 25,000 USD, price protection up to 4,000 USD, travel insurance up to 1,500,000 USD, lost luggage cover of 3,000 USD, baggage delay cover of 600 USD, a car rental damage waiver, heavily discounted lounge access, US Customs express entry, and a global eSIM with 3GB included plus regional eSIMs. These are standard Visa Infinite program perks, and exact coverage follows the card terms for your region.
Earn vaults: USDKY and Gauntlet Alpha
Beyond the Reserve account, KAST Earn offers two self-custodial yield vaults. USDKY (labeled KAST via M0) pays 3.3% APY and is rated Conservative. The Gauntlet Alpha Vault pays 4.5% APY and is rated Moderate. Both show balance, earnings, and risk level right on the Earn screen, and there is no cap on deposits or earnings.
USDKY is KAST's yield-enabled vault powered by USDKY, which derives its value from M0 protocol collateral consisting primarily of short-term US Treasury bills. Yield generated from that collateral is reflected in the value of USDKY over time, and it is powered by the M0 protocol. The Gauntlet Alpha Vault is curated by Gauntlet's quantitative team, which automatically deploys funds across top-tier DeFi protocols to capture risk-adjusted yield.
Both vaults are self-custodial. Your tokens sit in your own Privy wallet (Privy is a Stripe company), you get onchain proof of reserves you can verify on a block explorer, and you can withdraw back to your KAST Spending Account at any time, since nothing is time-locked. Earnings are not paid out as cash; instead, the redemption value of your vault shares rises as yield accrues, and you realize the gain when you withdraw. APYs are variable and fluctuate with the underlying strategy, so they are not fixed or guaranteed. KAST currently passes 100% of the net displayed yield to users, with fees possible in the future on advance notice.
DeFi risk is real here
Payments: tags, payouts, and SWIFT
The Payments tab is built for moving money, not trading. You can pay anyone instantly with a KAST tag or KAST link, send stablecoins instantly, run an instant payout to 55+ countries, or send USD via SWIFT to 200 countries in 1 to 3 days. Search by name, KAST tag, phone, or email to find recipients.
Your KAST tag is your payment handle. In the app's Discoverability settings you choose how others can find you: by name, KAST tag, email address, or phone number, each with its own toggle. Our test account uses the tag cryptosbeginner, which shows how clean peer-to-peer payments feel when both sides are on KAST.
Security and deposits
KAST lets you set your own security limits. Both onchain transfers and KAST user transfers default to a 5,000 USD daily limit and a 5,000 USD per-transaction limit, which you can adjust. Below your limit, a one-time passcode is enough; above it, the app asks for enhanced security like a face scan or authenticator code.
Deposits have strict rules, so read them before you send anything. The app says to deposit only USDT on Solana. XRPL and Stellar deposits require a correct destination tag or memo. Deposits of unsupported assets or networks may be permanently lost. The Receive screen shows a QR code with the asset, network, and wallet address, and the deposit rules sheet repeats the warning. There is no undo button on a wrong-network deposit, so copy the address fresh every time.
The one rule that matters most
App experience and ratings
The app itself is polished: a dark, modern interface with five tabs (Home, Accounts, Payments, Cards, Wealth), instant virtual card issuance, Google Wallet pairing, and support for six languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, and Arabic. The Accounts screen holds your profile, referral code field, statements, language and currency preferences, a self-custody toggle, and account closure.
Public ratings are mixed but lean positive. On the App Store, KAST: Global USD Account holds 4.0 stars from 272 ratings. On Google Play it holds 3.9 stars from about 3,000 reviews with 500,000+ downloads. That is a solid base for a 2024 startup, but the sub-4.0 Play Store score says support and edge cases still need work. Read recent reviews for your country before you commit real money.
How to sign up for KAST
Getting started takes a few minutes. Follow these steps:
- Open our referral link: go.cryptosbeginner.com/KAST (referral code 7MPKCWDC).
- Download the KAST app for iPhone or Android and create your account.
- If you skipped the link, add the code later under Accounts, then Referred by, then Add code.
- Complete identity verification. Card eligibility and ID requirements vary by country.
- Order your free virtual card instantly, or pay 40 USD for a physical card.
- Deposit USDT on Solana using the Receive screen, then move funds between your Spending Account and Reserve to start earning.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Free Standard tier with 1.5% cashback and a boosted 8% Reserve reward
- Real Visa cards (Platinum and Infinite) with Google Wallet support
- Self-custodial Earn vaults with onchain proof of reserves
- Global payouts: instant to 55+ countries, SWIFT USD to 200 countries
- Adjustable security limits with step-up authentication
- Well-funded team: 80M USD Series A, 1M+ users, 190+ countries
What to watch
- Reserve boost ends mid-2027, then the rate drops to 4%
- Premium (1,000 USD/yr) and Private (10,000 USD/yr) are expensive
- Earn vault APYs are variable and carry DeFi risk
- Deposits are USDT on Solana only; wrong-network deposits can be lost
- Not a bank; availability and ID rules vary by country
- Google Play rating of 3.9 suggests support still maturing
Verdict
KAST is one of the most complete stablecoin neobanks we have tested. The free Standard tier alone gives you a Global USD Account, a free virtual Visa card, 1.5% cashback, and an 8% boosted Reserve reward until mid-2027, which is a strong package for anyone paid in stablecoins or living across borders. The Earn vaults are genuinely self-custodial with onchain proof, which sets them apart from opaque custodial yield products.
The caveats are the price of the paid tiers, the expiry date on the boosted rates, and the strict deposit rules. Premium only makes sense if your spend or Reserve balance is large enough to earn back 1,000 USD a year, and Private is firmly a wealth product. Start on Standard, test deposits small, keep spending money out of the yield vaults, and re-check the Reserve rate as mid-2027 approaches.
Frequently asked questions
What is KAST?
KAST is a stablecoin-based neobank app that gives you a Global USD Account. You deposit stablecoins (mainly USDT on Solana), hold a USD balance, spend it with Visa cards, send payments to other users or to 200 countries by SWIFT, and earn rewards on idle balance through the Reserve account or Earn vaults. It is available on iPhone and Android.
Is KAST a bank?
No. KAST is a fintech platform built on stablecoin rails, not a licensed bank. Accounts and cards are provided through its regulated partners, and eligibility and ID requirements vary by country. It was founded in July 2024 by former Circle executive Raagulan Pathy, is headquartered in Singapore, and raised an 80 million USD Series A in March 2026 at a 600 million USD valuation co-led by QED Investors and Left Lane Capital.
What are the KAST membership tiers?
There are three tiers. Standard is free and gives 1.5% cashback, an 8% annualized cash reward on the Reserve account balance (boosted until mid-2027, then 4%), and 2 free Standard cards. Premium costs 1,000 USD per year and gives 2% cashback, 1% back in points, a 10% annualized Reserve reward, 1 Premium card plus 2 Standard cards, and Visa Infinite benefits. Private costs 10,000 USD per year and gives 3% cashback, 2% back in points, a 12% annualized Reserve reward, 1 Gold Plated card plus 2 Premium or Standard cards, VIP Concierge services, and Visa Infinite benefits.
How does the KAST Reserve account reward work?
The USD Reserve Account pays daily cash rewards on your balance with no lock-ups. The current boosted rate is 8% annualized for Standard members (shown in the app as 4% plus a 4% bonus), 10% for Premium, and 12% for Private, available until mid-2027. After that, the rate returns to 4%. The app states rewards are fully funded by KAST, so treat the boosted period as promotional and check the app for the current rate.
What cards does KAST offer and what do they cost?
Standard members can order the K Card and Solana Card on Visa Platinum. Premium unlocks the X Card and Solana Illuma Card on Visa Infinite. Private unlocks the KAST Gold Card, Solana Gold Card, and Bitcoin Black Card, also on Visa Infinite. A virtual card is free, while a physical card costs 40 USD. Cards support Google Wallet, and you can view statements, set a PIN, freeze, or cancel a card from the app.
Which stablecoins and networks can I deposit into KAST?
The app's deposit rules say to deposit only USDT on Solana. XRPL and Stellar deposits require a correct destination tag or memo. Deposits of unsupported assets or networks may be permanently lost, so always double check the asset and network shown in the app before sending.
Is my money safe in KAST Earn vaults?
KAST Earn vaults are self-custodial: your funds are held in a Privy (a Stripe company) wallet, with onchain proof of reserves you can verify. The USDKY vault (3.3% APY, conservative) is powered by the M0 protocol and backed by short-term US Treasury bills. The Gauntlet Alpha Vault (4.5% APY, moderate) is curated by Gauntlet's quant team and deploys funds across DeFi protocols. APYs are variable, not guaranteed, and DeFi strategies carry smart contract and market risk. There are no lock-ups, so you can withdraw to your Spending Account at any time.
How do I sign up for KAST with a referral?
Use a referral link to open your account, then download the app, verify your identity, and order a card. Our referral link is https://go.cryptosbeginner.com/KAST and the referral code is 7MPKCWDC. You can also add a referral code later in the app under Accounts, in the Referred by section.