Visa to Acquire Fireblocks for $2.5 Billion? Parties Respond: “Not True at Present Time”
📰 Axios reported Thursday, citing multiple people familiar with the matter, that Visa is in late-stage talks to acquire Fireblocks, a crypto custody and stablecoin infrastructure company, for around $2.5 billion.
📰 Fireblocks told The Block that rumors of an acquisition are “not true at present time.” Visa declined to comment.
📰 The Block: Fireblocks was valued at $8 billion in its $550 million Series E funding round in January 2022. In September 2025, it launched a stablecoin payments network with more than 40 participants, including Circle, Bridge, and Zerohash.
📰 On the same day, the OCC issued its final rules under the GENIUS Act, removing the provision that “third-party stablecoin yield arrangements are presumed unlawful” and replacing it with a case-by-case review. The American Bankers Association (ABA) criticized the change, saying it could threaten bank deposits.
【Opinion】
“Not true at present time” doesn’t mean “never discussed”—the wording leaves room for interpretation. Even if the deal doesn’t go through, the signal is clear: card networks are moving faster to secure stablecoin settlement rails, and custody and payments infrastructure are now on traditional financial giants’ acquisition lists. On the other hand, if the deal were to close at $2.5 billion, that would be roughly a 70% discount to its $8 billion valuation in 2022, showing that private-market valuations from the previous bull market are still being repriced.
【Opportunities/Risks】
✅ Stablecoin payments and on-chain settlement are among the few sectors this cycle with real revenue. Watch for changes in stablecoin circulation on major settlement chains such as Ethereum.
✅ The OCC’s easing of rules on yield arrangements reduces regulatory uncertainty for stablecoin wealth-management services offered by trading platforms.
⚠️ The rumor has been denied, so avoid chasing “acquisition play” speculation.
⚠️ The broader market remains weak: BTC is around 81,600, and ETFs shifted to net outflows in the latter part of this week. Volatility may pick up ahead of next week’s Fed meeting.
Do you think the entry of traditional payments giants will make the stablecoin sector more concentrated, or bring more growth to public blockchains?
#稳定币 #Visa #Fireblocks #加密新闻 #GENIUS法案
$ETH $BTC For informational purposes only; this is not investment advice.