Story perspectives

Stripe Buys Bridge for $1.1 Billion to Embed Stablecoins

9/9/2026

Summary

Story summary

Stripe bought Bridge for $1.1 billion to embed stablecoins in its banking infrastructure.
Mastercard agreed to purchase BVNK for up to $1.8 billion, also targeting stablecoin integration.
The GENIUS Act, signed July 2025, requires bank-grade reserves, disclosures and licensing for stablecoins.
B2B stablecoin payments reached a $226 billion annualized run-rate by late 2025, a 733% YoY increase.
77% of consumers would open a stablecoin wallet via their bank app, according to PYMNTS.

History

Historical Context

Facebook announced Libra on June 18 2019, promising a basket-backed stablecoin with each founding partner contributing $10 million. Within days regulators—including the U.S. Treasury, the European Central Bank and the French finance minister—cited monetary-sovereignty and consumer-protection risks, causing many partners to quit and the project to rebrand as Diem before closing in 2022. Those 2019 push-backs frame today’s Stripe and Mastercard stablecoin moves.

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Story summary

Stripe bought Bridge for $1.1 billion to embed stablecoins in its banking infrastructure.
Mastercard agreed to purchase BVNK for up to $1.8 billion, also targeting stablecoin integration.
The GENIUS Act, signed July 2025, requires bank-grade reserves, disclosures and licensing for stablecoins.
B2B stablecoin payments reached a $226 billion annualized run-rate by late 2025, a 733% YoY increase.
77% of consumers would open a stablecoin wallet via their bank app, according to PYMNTS.

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