Tilia

Tilia emerged from Linden Lab, the company behind the virtual world Second Life, to address the need for a robust payment system to power in-world economies. Initially developed over several years to manage Second Life's own digital economy, Tilia was established as an independent entity in October 2022. This spin-off was supported by a strategic investment from J.P. Morgan Payments. In April 2024, it was announced that Tilia would be acquired by Thunes, a global cross-border payments company, and subsequently rebranded. The deal included a five-year exclusive partnership for Thunes to provide payment processing for Linden Lab.

The company is led by CEO Brad Oberwager, a seasoned entrepreneur who previously served as Tilia's Executive Chairman. His background includes founding companies like Jyve and Bare Snacks, the latter of which was acquired by PepsiCo. Aston Waldman, formerly the CFO of Linden Lab, serves as Tilia's CFO and is also on the Board of Directors.

Tilia operates as an all-in-one payment platform designed for digital economies, servicing game publishers, virtual world developers, mobile applications, and NFT marketplaces. Its core business revolves around enabling developers to create and manage compliant, token-based digital economies. The platform handles the complexities of financial regulations, allowing users to convert virtual earnings into real-world currency. Revenue is generated by providing a comprehensive suite of tools that facilitate payments, manage digital wallets, oversee in-app transactions, and ensure smooth payouts to users' bank accounts.

The platform's key feature is its ability to bridge the gap between fiat and virtual currencies, a process heavily regulated by financial authorities. Tilia holds money transmitter licenses in all required U.S. states and territories, which allows it to manage regulated activities such as Know Your Customer (KYC) and fraud prevention. This enables Tilia to offer services that many payment providers cannot, specifically the redemption of in-world currencies for real-world money. The product is customizable, allowing clients to activate only the services they need, from payment processing to full-scale digital economy management with features like tax management and chargeback support.

Keywords: payment platform, virtual economies, digital economy, in-game transactions, creator economy, metaverse payments, payment processing, pay-outs, virtual currency, fiat conversion, token-based economy, Linden Lab, Second Life, KYC compliance, money transmitter, online gaming payments, virtual worlds, NFT marketplaces, in-app purchases, digital wallet