Mastercard has agreed to acquire BVNK, a UK-based provider of stablecoin infrastructure, in a deal worth up to $1.8 billion.

In Tuesday’s announcement, the payments giant mentioned that the acquisition includes $300 million in contingent payments. It will expand Mastercard’s capabilities in digital assets by connecting blockchain-based payments with traditional fiat systems.

Today, we announced our intent to acquire @BVNKFinance, expanding our end-to-end support of digital currencies with BVNK’s leading stablecoin-based payment Infrastructure. Together, we’re strengthening how fintechs, platforms and financial institutions connect traditional fiat… pic.twitter.com/2Bc4kBokT6

— Mastercard (@Mastercard) March 17, 2026

Connecting Fiat and On-Chain Payments

Founded in 2021, BVNK enables digital asset payments across major blockchains in more than 130 countries. Mastercard said the move will extend its network to support stablecoins and tokenized deposits, providing financial institutions with new payment options.

Jorn Lambert, Mastercard’s Chief Product Officer, said the acquisition will help the firm build “a highly compliant, interoperable offering that brings the benefits of tokenized money to the real world.”

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The deal follows Mastercard’s broader push into blockchain through initiatives such as its Crypto Partner Program. BVNK CEO Jesse Hemson-Struthers said the partnership would create “unprecedented infrastructure for digital currency-based financial services.”

BVNK Builds Up Licensing, Capital and Global Footprint

In recent months, BVNK has boosted its regulatory and funding base, securing an electronic money institution (EMI) license for European markets reported by Finance Magnates. Besides this, it is building out global coverage to support stablecoin payments at scale.

The firm has also attracted fresh capital, including a $50 million Series B round led by Haun Ventures to accelerate stablecoin payment services and its US expansion, with new offices in San Francisco and New York City.

According to the industry, the deal underlines how stablecoin infrastructure is becoming core middleware between banks, fintechs and card networks, not a niche crypto add-on. "Every Bank is currently shopping for vendors and partners to get into this space.For orchestration it has been a three horse race, Bridge, BVNK, and ZeroHash," Simon Taylor, the Founder FintechBrainfood, said.

Payment Giants Deepen Stablecoin Push

Mastercard is not the only payments giant deepening its ties with the blockchain space. Visa recently expanded its stablecoin work with Circle’s $USDC. The move allows some banks and fintechs to settle transactions in $USDC over public blockchains instead of only using traditional bank rails.

Mastercard’s move comes as demand for stablecoins accelerates. The total market value of dollar-pegged tokens hit a record $313 billion in early March, as investors sought on-chain safety amid US–Iran tensions and weak crypto prices.

In that backdrop, traders used stablecoins as both a liquidity parking lot and a bridge between fiat and digital assets, with Tether’s USDT holding more than 60% of the market and Circle’s $USDC cementing its role in payments and settlement.