Mastercard to acquire Stablecoin’s BVNK for $1.8bn

Global payments giant Mastercard has reached an agreement to acquire stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK in a deal valued at up to $1.8bn, as the company deepens its push into digital assets and blockchain-based payments.

The agreement, announced on Tuesday, includes up to $300m in contingent payments and is expected to close before the end of the year, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

The acquisition marks one of Mastercard’s most significant moves yet into digital currencies, as financial institutions increasingly explore stablecoins and tokenised deposits to improve cross-border payments, remittances and business transactions.

In a statement, Mastercard said evolving technology continues to reshape how value moves between individuals and businesses, with blockchain-powered digital assets offering the potential to make payments faster, more efficient and programmable. Digital currency payment use cases are expanding rapidly, reaching at least $350bn in transaction volume in 2025, according to the company.

Mastercard said growing regulatory clarity around digital currencies across several markets has encouraged banks and fintech firms to consider offering customers payment options enabled by stablecoins and other tokenised financial instruments.

“We expect that most financial institutions and fintechs will in time provide digital currency services, be it with stablecoins or tokenised deposits,” Chief Product Officer at Mastercard, Jorn Lambert, stated. “We want to support them and their customers with a best-in-class, highly compliant, interoperable offering that brings the benefits of tokenised money to the real world.”

Lambert added that integrating on-chain payment rails into Mastercard’s network would enable greater speed and programmability across a wide range of transactions while maintaining the security and compliance standards associated with traditional payment systems.

While card payments currently dominate consumer transactions globally due to their reach and protections, Mastercard noted that crypto wallets increasingly rely on cards as the preferred credential for enabling everyday spending using digital currencies. Stablecoins, the company said, present growing opportunities in areas such as peer-to-peer transfers, cross-border remittances, payouts and business-to-business payments.

Founded in 2021, BVNK has developed infrastructure designed to bridge traditional fiat currencies and stablecoins. The platform enables businesses to send and receive payments across major blockchain networks in more than 130 countries, positioning it as a key player in payment orchestration between conventional and digital financial systems.

“For all of the advancements made in simplifying the digital currency opportunity, we have only scratched the surface of what’s possible,” Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of BVNK, Jesse Hemson-Struthers, stated. “This deal brings together complementary capabilities to define and deliver the future of money. Together, we’re able to deliver an unprecedented infrastructure for digital currency-based financial services.”

Mastercard said combining its global payments network with BVNK’s blockchain infrastructure would help create interoperable payment solutions capable of connecting fiat and digital currency systems seamlessly across multiple blockchain networks.

The acquisition also builds on Mastercard’s broader digital asset strategy, including initiatives such as its Crypto Partner Program, aimed at expanding collaboration with fintech firms and accelerating innovation in on-chain payments.