Mastercard snaps up UK stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK for up to $1.8B to bolster crypto payment rails

Mastercard has agreed to acquire BVNK, a U.K.-based stablecoin infrastructure provider, in a transaction valued at up to $1.8 billion; the deal includes roughly $300 million in contingent consideration, according to company filings and reporting ^{[1] [2]}.

Mastercard said the purchase will expand its end-to-end support for digital assets and help bridge fiat and crypto payment flows; industry coverage notes the move could accelerate the integration of stablecoins into mainstream finance and global payment rails ^{[1] [3] [2]}.

Some outlets reported the deal followed a contested acquisition process that at times involved interest from other crypto firms, including Coinbase, according to press coverage of the transaction ^[4].

The acquisition signals Mastercard’s deeper push into blockchain-based payment infrastructure and stablecoin rails, a step observers say shifts the company from experimentation toward core crypto payments infrastructure ^{[5] [3]}.