Mastercard has been reported to acquire stablecoin giant Zerohash for $2 billion, breaking the $1.1 billion acquisition record set by Bridge.

According to anonymous sources, credit card giant Mastercard is in advanced negotiations to acquire stablecoin infrastructure company Zerohash for between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. If the deal goes through, it will surpass Stripe's record of $1.1 billion spent on acquiring Bridge last year, marking another massive acquisition in the crypto space. Zerohash was valued at $1 billion in September this year, with clients including Interactive Brokers, Franklin Templeton, and BlackRock's BUIDL Fund. This potential acquisition highlights the determination of Financial Institutions to accelerate the establishment of digital asset infrastructure in the context of the rapid expansion of the global stablecoin market.

Mastercard Accelerates Its Layout: Aiming for a $2 Billion Acquisition of Zerohash

Mastercard has been reported to be seeking an acquisition of Zerohash for up to $2 billion, marking the second potential acquisition related to stablecoins reported this month. Earlier in early October, Mastercard and mainstream CEX were in later discussions with another stablecoin startup, BVNK, which is also valued at around $2 billion.

This series of actions indicates that Mastercard is actively expanding its territory in the stablecoin sector to respond to the growing interest of Financial Institutions in digital assets.

• Record-breaking acquisition scale: If the transaction with Zerohash is finalized, its scale will be between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, which will undoubtedly surpass the record set by payment processor Stripe when it acquired stablecoin startup Bridge for $1.1 billion a year ago.
• Zerohash's value soars: Zerohash completed a D-2 round of financing led by global broker Interactive Brokers in September, achieving a valuation of $1 billion at that time, with total financing amounting to $275 million since 2017.

In response to this rumor, a Mastercard spokesperson stated that they do not comment on market speculation.

Stablecoin Market Explosion: Trillion-Dollar Track Attracts Wall Street Giants

Mastercard's interest in Zerohash comes at a time of explosive growth in global stablecoin activity.

• Market size surges: According to CoinGlass data, the total market capitalization of stablecoins has increased by about 100 billion USD this year, reaching over 312 billion USD.
• Huge growth potential: Standard Chartered Bank predicts that by the end of 2026, the market value of stablecoins will soar to $750 billion. The market prediction platform Myriad shows that over 50% of respondents believe that the market value of stablecoins will exceed $360 billion before February next year.

Industry expert Chris Miglino pointed out that just as Digital Asset Trusts (DATs) have permeated Wall Street, stablecoins will replace traditional remittance transfer methods. This trend is bolstered by a more favorable political and regulatory environment, including the introduction of the GENIUS Act, which establishes a regulatory framework for the issuance and trading of stablecoins, further attracting Financial Institutions to leverage their fast, low-cost trading advantages.

Zerohash's Institutional Ecosystem: Bridging TradFi and Encryption

The reason Zerohash is favored by giants like Mastercard is its key role as an infrastructure provider, having successfully embedded itself into the ecosystem of mainstream finance.

• Heavyweight client base: The clients served by Zerohash include Interactive Brokers, Franklin Templeton, Stripe, and BlackRock's BUIDL Fund, indicating that its technological solutions have gained recognition from Wall Street elites.
• Partnership with Morgan Stanley: Just last month, Zerohash announced a strategic partnership with the traditional financial giant Morgan Stanley, allowing customers of its online trading platform E*Trade to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. Zerohash CEO Edward Woodford has stated that Morgan Stanley's strategic investment highlights the critical role of infrastructure in digital finance.

Conclusion

The potential acquisition of Zerohash by Mastercard is a strong testament to the fact that stablecoin infrastructure has increasingly become one of the hottest asset classes in the encryption industry. Against the backdrop of a booming market size and institutional interest, the payment giant is rapidly acquiring digital financial capabilities through mergers and acquisitions. If this deal ultimately materializes at $2 billion, it will not only be one of the largest mergers and acquisitions in the crypto space this year but also symbolize a milestone in the transformation of traditional finance towards on-chain trading models.