- Mastercard gears up for a big move in the stablecoin sector as it forges a “definitive agreement” to acquire BVNK for $1.8 billion.
- BVNK’s valuation comes at a significant premium over its $750 million assessment in December 2024.
Mastercard, one of the world’s largest payment networks, is gearing up to increase its presence in the digital assets space. On Tuesday, it announced that it had forged a “definitive agreement” to acquire BVNK, a stablecoin infrastructure provider.
Mastercard’s Acquisition of BVNK
According to the company’s press release, the buyout comes at a tune of $1.8 billion. The figures include $300 million in contingent payments.
Mastercard claimed that the move would extend its end-to-end support of digital assets. Additionally, it enhances the network’s value movement across currencies, rails, and regions.
The measure aims to align Mastercard’s capabilities amid the rising acceptance of digital assets, particularly stablecoins and other tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). The company believes the acquisition would boost its efficiency, speed, and programmability in cross-border remittances and payment settlements, especially in the P2P (Peer-to-Peer) and B2B (Business-to-Business) settings.
The milestone also positions Mastercard for potential expansion in capital markets, treasury management, and other commercial use cases. Together with BVNK, it envisions delivering trusted and regulated interoperability at scale.
BVNK: From $750 Million to $1.8 Billion Valuation
BVNK was founded in 2021 by a trio comprising serial entrepreneur Jesse Hemson-Struthers, blockchain expert Don Jackson, and experienced FX trader Chris Harmse. Shortly after its founding, the company achieved a valuation of around $750 million during a Series B fundraise in December 2024.
Mastercard’s billion-dollar purchase of BVNK comes at a premium, exemplifying the stablecoin platform’s exponential growth in just half a decade of operation. The event comes hot on the heels of Mastercard’s expansive partnership with over 85 companies under the Crypto Partner Program. The collaboration brings together traditional finance (TradFi) institutions and crypto-native firms.
Stablecoin Market Growth Projection
Jorn Lambert, Chief Product Officer of Mastercard, stated that most financial institutions will eventually embrace digital currency services. He sees stablecoins and tokenized deposits playing a major role in the future landscape. The BVNK acquisition leverages that projection to give the payments giant an edge in the next stage of the financial evolution.
To date, stablecoins account for approximately 44.5% of the $674 billion RWA market, or $300 billion. Citigroup estimates that the industry could surge to $4 trillion in a bull-case scenario or $1.9 trillion in a base-case scenario by 2030, based on a six-month trend in its April 2025 report.
