Payments giant Mastercard moves to bridge fiat and crypto with $1.8 billion acquisition of the U.K. based stablecoin startup. Mar 17, 2026, 12:22 p.m. Mastercard announced Tuesday an agreement to buy BVNK, a stablecoin infrastructure company, for up to $1.8 billion, including $300 million in contingent payments. The deal expands Mastercard’s end-to-end support of digital assets and value movement across currencies, rails and regions. U.K.-based BVNK describes itself as the stablecoin-powered financial stack for enterprises, which moves money in seconds across more than 130 countries. Its infrastructure is already used by companies including Worldpay, Deel and Flywire. It processes billions of dollars annually. More For You PayPal expands its stablecoin into 70 markets 26 minutes ago The payments giant says the dollar-backed PYUSD token will enable cheaper cross-border transfers and faster settlement for merchants. What to know: PayPal is rolling out its U.S. dollar–backed stablecoin, PYUSD, to users in 70 markets worldwide. Consumers can buy, hold, send and receive PYUSD directly in PayPal accounts and transfer it to external wallets. Merchants accepting PYUSD can access proceeds within minutes rather than waiting days for traditional settlement. Read full story