Big Money Moves: Mastercard Eyes Crypto Startup Zerohash

Mastercard is making waves in the crypto world. They are close to buying Zerohash, a startup that helps with stablecoins and blockchain tech. Zerohash, based in Chicago, was founded in 2017. They help companies with crypto payments and trading. This deal is huge, around $2 billion. It shows how big companies are betting big on crypto. Mastercard wasn't the only one interested. Coinbase, a big crypto exchange, was also in the running. They even had exclusive talks with Zerohash. This means Zerohash can't talk to other buyers right now. No one from Mastercard, Zerohash, or Coinbase wanted to comment. BVNK, another stablecoin startup, didn't respond to requests for comment either. Stablecoins are hot right now. These are cryptocurrencies tied to stable assets like the US dollar. They are seen as the future of payments. Stripe, a big payments company, bought Bridge, a stablecoin startup, for $1. 1 billion. This shows how serious companies are about crypto. Zerohash is different. They don't just focus on stablecoins. They help companies build their own crypto trading platforms. They also help with tokenization, which puts traditional assets on the blockchain. Zerohash has big backers. Investors like Interactive Brokers and Apollo have put money into them. They raised $104 million last year. But why are big companies interested? Stablecoins can process transactions faster and cheaper than traditional methods. They use blockchain technology. But the infrastructure is still new. Companies like Mastercard and Coinbase want to be part of this growing trend.