Zerohash begins $250 million fund negotiations with a $1.5 billion valuation after Mastercard's rejection of acquisition offer

Crypto infrastructure company Zerohash is shifting to a new financing strategy after stepping back from acquisition talks with Mastercard. The company is currently in negotiations to raise $250 million based on a $1.5 billion valuation. This decision reflects the rapid changes in the dynamics of the technology and finance sectors as of 21.00 hours, indicating the company’s preference to pursue an independent path.

Termination of Acquisition Talks with Mastercard and New Investment Approach

Recently, Zerohash, which was working on a strategic agreement with Mastercard, was reported to have discussed a potential acquisition scenario with a valuation of approximately $2 billion in October. However, the company decided to remain independent and withdrew from these negotiations. The payment processor Mastercard has not closed this process; instead, it continues to consider making a strategic investment in Zerohash, and sources indicate that discussions are ongoing.

Financing Amid Growing Demand for Corporate Crypto Infrastructure

This funding round coincides with increased interest from traditional financial institutions in offering tokenized assets, stablecoins, and on-chain settlement solutions. Banks and fintech companies are adopting a more aggressive approach to integrating crypto services at a corporate scale. This environment provides a significant advantage to technology providers like Zerohash, which serve as bridges in this ecosystem.

Strong Backers in the $104 Million Series D-2 Round

Zerohash’s new funding negotiations are supported by successful investment rounds in recent months. In the Series D-2 round led by Interactive Brokers, the company raised a total of $104 million, boosting its valuation to around $1 billion. The investor portfolio in this round is impressive: major players such as Morgan Stanley management funds, SoFi, Jump Crypto, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, FTMO, IMC, and Liberty City Ventures participated. Existing investors PEAK6, tastytrade, and Nyca Partners also supported this round.

Extensive Customer Network and Global Reach

Founded in 2017, Zerohash provides APIs and embeddable developer tools enabling financial institutions and fintech companies to offer crypto and tokenization products. The platform’s customer list is highly impressive: industry giants like Interactive Brokers, Stripe, BlackRock’s BUIDL fund, Franklin Templeton, and DraftKings utilize Zerohash’s technology. The company serves over 5 million users across 190 countries, playing a central role in the widespread adoption of crypto infrastructure.

Zerohash’s success in this new funding round demonstrates the high level of confidence and appetite for institutional crypto solutions. Mastercard’s continued strategic interest is seen as an indicator of the long-term strategy of the payments sector regarding digital asset infrastructure.