Mastercard Eyes $2B Zero Hash Deal to Lead Stablecoin Payments

Mastercard is reportedly in late-stage talks to acquire blockchain infrastructure startup Zero Hash in a deal valued between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, according to sources cited by Fortune. The move underscores Mastercard’s ambition to expand beyond traditional payment rails and establish a major presence in the growing world of stablecoin payments.

The acquisition would give Mastercard a powerful foothold in blockchain infrastructure at a time when competitors like Visa, Stripe, and Coinbase are rapidly advancing their own crypto strategies. Stablecoins—digital tokens pegged to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar—are increasingly being seen as the future of global transactions, offering faster and cheaper cross-border settlement.

Industry projections suggest that stablecoin payment volume could exceed $1 trillion by 2030, driven by institutional adoption and real-world applications in foreign exchange and remittance markets. Mastercard’s move to acquire Zero Hash follows a wave of major fintech investments, including Stripe’s $1.1 billion acquisition of stablecoin provider Bridge and Visa’s launch of its tokenization platform.

Zero Hash has quickly emerged as a key player in this space, processing $2 billion in tokenized fund flows in just the first four months of 2025. The firm’s technology enables financial institutions to seamlessly integrate blockchain-based settlements and on-chain assets into their existing platforms.

If the deal goes through, Mastercard could position itself at the center of the next evolution in payments—merging traditional finance with blockchain innovation to accelerate the global shift toward tokenized money.

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