Global payments leader Mastercard has agreed to acquire stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK in a deal valued at up to $1.8bn, marking a major expansion of its strategy in digital assets and blockchain-enabled payments.
The agreement, announced on Tuesday, includes up to $300m in contingent payments and is expected to close before year-end, subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions.
The acquisition represents one of Mastercard’s most significant moves into the digital currency ecosystem, as financial institutions increasingly explore stablecoins and tokenised deposits to enhance cross-border payments, remittances, and business transactions.
In a statement, Mastercard noted that emerging technologies are fundamentally reshaping how value is exchanged globally, with blockchain-powered digital assets offering faster, more efficient, and programmable payment capabilities. The company added that digital currency transactions reached at least $350bn in 2025, underscoring accelerating adoption.
Mastercard also pointed to growing regulatory clarity across key markets as a catalyst encouraging banks and fintech firms to integrate stablecoin-enabled payment options into their offerings.
“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 explained that integrating on-chain payment infrastructure into Mastercard’s global network would enable enhanced speed and programmability while maintaining the security and compliance standards associated with traditional payment systems.
While card-based payments continue to dominate global consumer transactions, Mastercard observed that crypto wallets increasingly rely on cards as the primary credential for everyday spending using digital currencies. The company identified stablecoins as a growing opportunity across peer-to-peer payments, cross-border remittances, payouts, and business-to-business transactions.
Founded in 2021, BVNK has developed infrastructure that bridges traditional fiat currencies with stablecoins, enabling businesses to transact across major blockchain networks in more than 130 countries.
“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 the integration of BVNK’s blockchain infrastructure with its global payments network would support the development of interoperable systems capable of seamlessly connecting fiat and digital currencies.
The move builds on Mastercard’s broader digital asset strategy, including its Crypto Partner Program, designed to deepen collaboration with fintech companies and accelerate innovation in blockchain-based payments.
According to the company, the combined platform will adopt a blockchain-agnostic approach, allowing financial institutions and businesses to deploy solutions tailored to their needs without being restricted to closed ecosystems.
