Visa In Talks To Acquire Fireblocks For $2.5 Billion
Visa (NYSE: $V) is in talks to acquire Fireblocks for $2.5 billion U.S., a move that would integrate institutional custody and stablecoin infrastructure into the payments giant's operations. The privately held company provides tokenization and settlement services to banks and payment firms, including Visa itself. The reported purchase price sits 69% below the $8 billion U.S. valuation applied to Fireblocks during a January 2022 fundraise.
Visa (NYSE: $V) is in talks to acquire Fireblocks for $2.5 billion U.S., a move that would integrate institutional custody and stablecoin infrastructure into the payments giant's operations. The privately held company provides tokenization and settlement services to banks and payment firms, including Visa itself. The reported purchase price sits 69% below the $8 billion U.S. valuation applied to Fireblocks during a January 2022 fundraise.
Market volatility intensified in the final days of October, pressuring risk assets and driving capital out of cryptocurrencies. The technology-heavy Nasdaq index fell nearly 700 points, or 2.60%, on Oct. 22, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 500 points on Oct. 23. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: $BTC) traded at $81,500 U.S. on the afternoon of Oct. 23, marking a 5% decline for the month of October after a rally of more than 40% in the third quarter. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded combined net outflows of $635.6 million U.S. on Oct. 22, the largest daily outflow since June. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (NASDAQ: $IBIT) accounted for $254.1 million U.S. of those outflows, though weekly ETF flows remained positive at $442.7 million U.S.
Strategy (NASDAQ: $MSTR) continued its accumulation strategy during the downturn, purchasing 267 BTC for $22.1 million U.S. at an average price of $82,900 U.S. per coin. The company's total holdings rose to 848,517 BTC following the acquisition, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Institutional adoption of digital assets expanded through several developments this week. JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: $JPM) announced it is bringing its JPM Coin token to the Ethereum network to facilitate blockchain payments and settle trades for institutional clients. The token represents dollar deposits at the bank and has been available for one year.
Deposits into crypto lending vaults surpassed $10 billion U.S., more than doubling from $4 billion U.S. at the start of 2025. These smart contract-based platforms offer yields ranging from 3% to 10%, attracting investors seeking returns on stablecoins and other digital assets.
Ethereum staking reached a record high in the third quarter, with 43.8 million ETH locked into staking at the end of September, representing nearly 36% of the circulating supply. Annualized staking yields averaged 2.63%, down from 2.81% in the second quarter, according to Bitwise.
Network upgrades and new tools continued to roll out across the sector. Zcash (CRYPTO: $ZEC) developers scheduled the NU7 upgrade for around Nov. 5, which will reduce block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds to triple payment speeds. Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano (CRYPTO: $ADA), disclosed he is developing a new programming language that combines transaction intents with cryptographic proof, supporting tools such as Groth16 proofs.
Ethereum developers delayed a planned test of the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi network after security researchers identified a potential issue with failed transactions that could cause permanent errors. The upgrade was originally due to activate on Oct. 26, but no new date has been announced.
Filed by the digital assets desk of MarketPR on October 23, 2026. Source: cryptoprowl.com. Indicative figures are not investment advice.