Stripe, Mastercard and Circle have agreed to buy three stablecoin payments operators: Bridge, BVNK and Tazapay. The deals total approximately $3.3 billion, a maximum rather than cash already spent. Each buyer now holds a different layer of the same payments stack.
Stripe, Mastercard and Circle have together agreed to buy three stablecoin payments operators in deals worth approximately $3.3 billion. The targets are Bridge, BVNK and Tazapay, and the purchases suggest large payment companies see the plumbing behind digital dollars as a strategic asset.
The three deals, one by one
Stripe's acquisition of Bridge closed in February 2025 for $1.1 billion. Bridge handles stablecoin orchestration, and Stripe has also announced plans to expand stablecoin-backed cards to more than 100 countries by the end of 2026.
Mastercard, meanwhile, agreed to pay up to $1.8 billion for BVNK. The deal closed on August 3, 2026, and it is Mastercard's largest digital-asset acquisition. BVNK helps businesses move between fiat currency and stablecoins in more than 130 countries.
Circle, the issuer behind USDC, announced a $400 million all-stock deal for Tazapay on September 8, 2026. The deal is expected to close in 2027, pending regulatory approval. Tazapay handles more than $25 billion in annualized payment volume across more than 100 markets.
Why the BVNK price is a ceiling
Because the BVNK price is up to $1.8 billion, the figure is a ceiling. Part of the price likely depends on conditions being met, so the approximately $3.3 billion combined total should be read as a maximum.
Regulatory frameworks for stablecoins are taking shape. The GENIUS Act in the US gives companies a clearer legal backdrop for issuing and moving dollar-backed tokens.
Competing on different layers
Stripe now owns orchestration through Bridge, while Mastercard owns a fiat-to-stablecoin network spanning more than 130 countries. Circle owns a cross-border settlement business with stablecoin-heavy volume across more than 100 markets.
Yet the three also cooperate. The Open USD (OUSD) stablecoin consortium includes Stripe, Mastercard and Visa, and Visa is not among the three buyers.
Source: Crypto Briefing
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