March 17 (Reuters) - Mastercard said on Tuesday it would buy stablecoin payments infrastructure firm BVNK for up to $1.8 billion, as the card giant deepens its push into blockchain-based transfers.
Increasing regulatory clarity and broader usage of stablecoins have created opportunities for card networks to expand beyond traditional cards into faster, lower-cost digital payment systems. Mastercard and rival Visa are competing to establish an early lead in the fast-evolving segment.
Mastercard said the deal would enable its users to carry out cross-border remittances, business payments and payouts with stablecoin, which offers advantages in speed, cost and availability.
"BVNK has spent the last seven years building not just the technology, but also obtaining licenses in multiple geographies," said Mastercard's chief product officer, Jorn Lambert, on a conference call.
Lambert added that building similar capability internally "would require quite a bit of time," while an acquisition would allow Mastercard to "get to market much faster."
The deal includes $300 million in contingent payments and is expected to close before the end of 2026.
Analysts at William Blair said that BVNK's stablecoin infrastructure "complements its (Mastercard's) existing card solutions, in our view, offering greater payment and money movement choice across fiat and blockchain rails."
BVNK, founded in 2021, specializes in infrastructure to bridge between fiat and stablecoins. The platform enables sending and receiving payments on all major blockchain networks across more than 130 countries.
"BVNK represents a major buy opportunity for MA given the former's impressive existing geographic reach, difficult-to-acquire payments licenses, and strong relationships with key ecosystem participants," said Citi analyst Bryan Keane.
The deal builds on Mastercard's broader push into digital assets, including its Crypto Partner Program, as it seeks to integrate blockchain-based payments into its global network and expand its addressable market.
Mastercard believes that stablecoin adoption is likely to broaden across the financial industry.
(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil and Prakhar Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
