Mastercard is reportedly nearing a $2B acquisition of Zero Hash in a major bet on stablecoin payments, as the firm races to expand its blockchain infrastructure and global settlement capabilities amid soaring demand for tokenized payment rails.

Mastercard is reported to be in late‑stage talks to acquire Chicago-based crypto and stablecoin infrastructure provider Zero Hash in a deal valued between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, according to multiple reports citing unnamed sources familiar with the negotiations. The transaction has not been finalized and could still fall through, but if completed it would represent one of Mastercard’s largest crypto-related bets to date and a major step in its strategy to build always-on, blockchain-based settlement rails for global payments. Mastercard, Zero Hash and Coinbase have all declined public comment on the reported talks. Zero Hash, founded in 2017, provides back-end infrastructure that allows banks, fintechs and large platforms to offer crypto trading, custody and stablecoin-based payments without directly managing blockchain operations or related regulatory complexity. Its rails power crypto access and stablecoin transfers for major financial and fintech firms, enabling services such as tokenized payouts, global account funding and on-chain settlement. For Mastercard, acquiring Zero Hash would extend existing pilots and partnerships around stablecoin settlement into deeper control over core infrastructure, positioning the network to compete more directly with Visa and other rivals that are also exploring 24/7 stablecoin-based settlement. The reported Zero Hash deal follows earlier discussions by Mastercard to buy another stablecoin infrastructure provider, BVNK, where Coinbase is now said to be in exclusive talks. The competitive interest from both Mastercard and Coinbase in these infrastructure firms underscores a broader strategic race among payment networks and crypto companies to own the middleware that connects traditional finance to tokenized money and real-time blockchain settlement. If completed, a Zero Hash acquisition would signal increasing consolidation in the crypto infrastructure layer and a stronger commitment by a major card network to stablecoins as a long-term component of cross-border payments, treasury, and embedded finance solutions.

✨ AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

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