Stripe Acquires Privy to Build End-to-End Crypto Infrastructure Empire

Stripe Buys Privy to Fuel Crypto Infrastructure Expansion

Stripe has officially acquired Privy, a fast-growing crypto wallet infrastructure startup, in a deal that will significantly broaden Stripe’s crypto capabilities. The acquisition—revealed via an X post on Wednesday—comes just weeks after Stripe’s $1.1 billion buyout of stablecoin platform Bridge, signaling the company’s push to deliver end-to-end digital asset solutions.

While terms were not disclosed, the move positions Stripe to offer businesses a seamless stack combining wallet integration, stablecoin payment rails, and fiat on-ramps. It’s a strategic step as global institutional appetite for crypto infrastructure reaches historic highs.

Privy Powers Over 75M Accounts—Now Backed by Stripe

Founded in 2021 by Henri Stern and Asta Li, Privy has become a key backend provider for Web3 onboarding, supporting more than 75 million accounts across 1,000+ teams and facilitating billions in transactions. Its core innovation is enabling embedded wallets, allowing users to engage with crypto services without creating or managing external wallets.

Privy’s integration with Stripe aligns perfectly with the payments giant’s ambition to streamline crypto adoption for businesses of all sizes. The startup will continue to operate independently, mirroring the structure used for Stripe’s earlier Bridge acquisition.

Stripe said this combination “eliminates infrastructure fragmentation,” giving businesses a one-stop solution for crypto payments, custody, and fiat compatibility.

Stablecoins Drive Demand as Institutional Adoption Surges

Stripe’s aggressive crypto push comes amid soaring demand for stablecoins, which settled $27.6 trillion in Q1 2025—more than twice Visa’s 2023 total volume. The rise is driven by stablecoins’ ability to solve real business challenges like high fees, payment delays, and currency risk.

According to Coinbase data cited in recent reports, 60% of Fortune 500 firms are actively working on blockchain initiatives. Nearly 20% of executives now consider on-chain strategies core to their business model—a 47% rise from last year. Meanwhile, institutional crypto interest is growing fast: over 80% of investors plan to increase exposure this year.

The stablecoin market has grown 54% year-over-year, with global holders surpassing 161 million.

Stripe’s Crypto Comeback: From BTC to Stablecoins

Stripe’s relationship with crypto began in 2014, when it became the first major payments processor to support Bitcoin. However, due to high fees and network issues, support was paused before the company rebuilt its blockchain team in 2021.

Since then, Stripe has moved aggressively. In October 2024, it launched stablecoin payment support in 70 countries, followed by the May 2025 debut of Stablecoin Financial Accounts across 101 countries. These accounts support USDC from Circle and USDB from Bridge, with more integrations on the way.

Stripe also recently partnered with Ramp to launch stablecoin-backed corporate cards, offering fast, low-cost cross-border payments. These began in Latin America and have expanded to Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Regulatory Clarity Fuels Corporate Blockchain Boom

The timing of these moves coincides with major regulatory progress in early 2025. New legislation has provided clear legal frameworks for institutional crypto participation, prompting a flood of corporate adoption.

Congress is now advancing the bipartisan GENIUS Act, focused on stablecoin oversight, and has reintroduced the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act. These developments are eliminating previous legal barriers, allowing companies like Stripe to double down on crypto without hesitation.

Stripe expects the Privy acquisition to close in the coming weeks, completing the blueprint for a unified platform that can handle wallet creation, stablecoin payments, and fiat integration under one roof.