Major US bank Capital One has finalized a significant $5.15 billion deal to acquire the fintech company Brex, focusing on the integration of its stablecoin payment solutions. The announcement was made on Thursday, highlighting that the acquisition will include both cash and stock components, with the deal expected to close in mid-2026.
“Since our founding, we set out to build a payments company at the frontier of the technology revolution,” stated Richard Fairbank, founder and CEO of Capital One. “Acquiring Brex accelerates this journey, especially in the business payments marketplace.”
This acquisition stands out as one of the largest in the fintech sector in recent years, as it merges a stablecoin-innovative startup with one of the largest financial institutions in the United States, amidst a growing interest from traditional finance in cryptocurrency solutions.
A Push for Stablecoin Adoption
In recent developments, Brex announced itself as the first global corporate card provider to support native stablecoin transactions, initially utilizing USDC.
Translation: Brex announced that it would be the first global corporate card provider to incorporate USDC stablecoin payments.
Pedro Franceschi, Brex’s founder and CEO, conveyed on social media that he plans to continue leading the company post-acquisition, emphasizing that the merger would enable both companies to enhance their capabilities and accelerate growth.
“This story is about growth acceleration, and two founder-led companies coming together to bring a better way to manage money to millions of businesses in the mainstream US economy, who are dramatically underserved by traditional banks,” he remarked.
The discussion surrounding stablecoins has intensified within traditional finance following key regulatory advancements last year, notably the passage of the GENIUS Act, which has seen the stablecoin market capitalization surge by 18.6%, reaching a historic $314 billion according to CoinGecko.
Source of the growth: Stablecoins have maintained strong performance even as other cryptocurrency sectors have shown signs of decline.
