Casablanca – Mastercard has agreed to acquire BVNK in a deal valued at up to $1.8 billion, as it moves deeper into digital assets and blockchain-based payments.
The agreement, announced March 17, includes up to $300 million in contingent payments and is expected to close before the end of the year, pending regulatory approvals and customary conditions.
The acquisition centers on linking traditional financial systems with so-called on-chain payments. BVNK, founded in 2021, builds infrastructure that allows businesses to send and receive payments using stablecoins across more than 130 countries. Its technology is designed to bridge fiat currencies and blockchain networks, an area Mastercard has been investing in as digital currencies gain traction.
Digital asset payments are still relatively new but growing quickly. Volumes reached at least $350 billion in 2025, according to the company. Financial institutions and fintech firms are increasingly exploring ways to integrate stablecoins and tokenized deposits into their services, especially as regulatory frameworks become clearer in several markets.
Mastercard said the deal will help expand its ability to support different types of transactions, from cross-border remittances to peer-to-peer and business payments.
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It is also looking at longer-term use cases, including applications in capital markets and treasury operations, where faster settlement and programmable money could address existing inefficiencies.
The company’s existing network already connects billions of users and millions of merchants worldwide. By adding BVNK’s infrastructure, it aims to make digital currency payments more accessible while maintaining the compliance and security standards associated with traditional card systems.
Jorn Lambert, Mastercard’s chief product officer, said the goal is to give financial institutions the tools to offer digital currency services at scale, whether through stablecoins or other tokenized assets. BVNK CEO Jesse Hemson-Struthers described the deal as a way to combine complementary capabilities and accelerate the development of digital financial services.
The combined platform is expected to operate across different blockchains and currencies, allowing clients to choose solutions without being tied to a single system.
The move follows a series of Mastercard initiatives in the crypto space, including partnerships aimed at expanding the use of digital currencies in everyday payments.
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