Mastercard said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire London-based stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK in a deal valued at up to $1.8 billion, as the payments giant expands deeper into blockchain-enabled financial services.
Mastercard Targets Cross-Border Payments Growth With BVNK Acquisition
The transaction includes up to $300 million in performance-based contingent payments and is expected to close before the end of 2026, pending regulatory approvals and customary conditions.
The acquisition signals Mastercard’s continued push into digital assets, building on initiatives such as its Crypto Partner Program. The move follows earlier, ultimately unsuccessful acquisition discussions involving BVNK and Coinbase in late 2025.
Mastercard said the deal is designed to connect traditional fiat payment rails with blockchain-based assets, including stablecoins and tokenized deposits, enabling interoperability across currencies, networks and regions. The company cited at least $350 billion in digital asset payment volume in 2025, driven in part by increased regulatory clarity in multiple jurisdictions.
Jorn Lambert, Mastercard’s chief product officer, said the company expects financial institutions and fintech firms to increasingly offer digital currency services. “We want to support them and their customers with a best-in-class, highly compliant, interoperable offering that brings the benefits of tokenized money to the real world,” Lambert said, adding that integrating on-chain rails could improve transaction speed and programmability.
BVNK, founded in 2021, provides enterprise-grade infrastructure that enables businesses to send and receive payments across major blockchain networks in more than 130 countries. Its platform is used by firms including Worldpay, Deel and Flywire, and processes billions of dollars in annual volume.
Jesse Hemson-Struthers, BVNK’s co-founder and CEO, said the combination of the two companies’ capabilities would help expand the use of digital currency-based financial services. “Together, we’re able to deliver an unprecedented infrastructure for digital currency-based financial services,” he said.
Mastercard said BVNK’s technology will complement its global network, which spans more than 200 countries, while maintaining a chain-agnostic approach that allows institutions to operate across multiple blockchain ecosystems without being tied to a single platform.
The deal comes as stablecoins gain traction in global payments, particularly for cross-border transfers, business-to-business settlements and treasury operations. Mastercard’s acquisition positions it alongside other firms investing in digital asset infrastructure as traditional finance and blockchain-based systems continue to converge.
FAQ 🔎
- What is BVNK?
BVNK is a London-based company that provides infrastructure for businesses to send and receive stablecoin payments across global blockchain networks. - How much is Mastercard paying for BVNK?
The deal is valued at up to $1.8 billion, including up to $300 million in performance-based payments. - Why is Mastercard acquiring BVNK?
Mastercard aims to integrate stablecoins and tokenized assets into its payment network to improve cross-border and digital transactions. - When will the Mastercard-BVNK deal close?
The transaction is expected to close before the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and standard conditions.