Fireblocks Rejects Visa Takeover Report as Stablecoin Deals Draw Scrutiny

Fireblocks disputed reports that Visa was nearing a roughly $2.5 billion acquisition of the crypto infrastructure company. The denial leaves the transaction unconfirmed, but the reporting highlights how custody, settlement and stablecoin payment services have become acquisition targets for established financial networks.

Fireblocks pushes back on the reported negotiations

Fireblocks has rejected a report that Visa was in advanced negotiations to acquire the company for about $2.5 billion. According to Cointelegraph, the custody and infrastructure provider said the reported acquisition was news to the company and was “not true at present time.”

The underlying report came from Axios, which cited multiple sources, according to Cointelegraph. Visa told Cointelegraph that it does not discuss rumors or speculation, offering no confirmation of the reported negotiations.

The distinction matters for interpreting the story. A reported purchase price is not an agreed transaction value, and Fireblocks’ response directly challenges the acquisition account rather than announcing a deal.

The proposed price contrasts with its funding valuation

The reported consideration attracted attention because it sits below Fireblocks’ previously disclosed private-market valuation. Cointelegraph reported that the company announced a valuation exceeding $8 billion following a $550 million Series E financing in January 2022.

CoinDesk and Bitcoin Magazine described the funding valuation as $8 billion. Cointelegraph also noted that the information provider Traxcn continued to list an $8 billion valuation as recently as Dec. 11, 2025.

These references establish the historical comparison, not a current appraisal of the business. A financing valuation and a reported acquisition price arise from different transactions, and neither the denial nor the coverage establishes why the reported consideration would be lower.

• The acquisition reporting put the potential purchase price at approximately $2.5 billion.
• The January 2022 Series E raised $550 million.
• Cointelegraph described the valuation announced after that financing as more than $8 billion.

Custody technology connects the story to payment infrastructure

Fireblocks supplies infrastructure used by banks, exchanges and financial technology companies to store and transfer digital assets, according to Bitcoin Magazine. The outlet identified BNY Mellon, Worldpay, Revolut and Galaxy among its customers.

CoinDesk adds a technical explanation: Fireblocks specializes in custody that uses multi-party computation. In general, that approach distributes sensitive cryptographic operations rather than depending on a single complete signing secret in one place. The relevance extends beyond holding assets to the controls needed to authorize their movement.

According to Bitcoin Magazine, Circle, Bridge, Zerohash and Yellow Card were among more than 40 participants in a network for stablecoin payments that Fireblocks launched in September 2025. It also reported acceptance tools for neobanks and a settlement offering aimed at AI agents, showing that the business described in the takeover coverage reaches beyond custody alone.

The accounts differ on responses and competing interest

Cointelegraph reported a direct response from Fireblocks, while Bitcoin Magazine attributed the company’s denial to The Block. Those accounts share the same substantive rejection, but they should not be mistaken for separate confirmations that negotiations occurred.

CoinDesk contributed a different strand of reporting. It said anonymous sources had also identified Coinbase as a possible buyer amid sale speculation circulating over the preceding weeks. Coinbase had not replied by publication, according to CoinDesk; that reported interest is not a confirmed bid.

The outlets also recorded different stages of Visa’s response. CoinDesk said Visa had not answered its requests by press time, whereas Cointelegraph obtained its refusal to discuss speculation. The Defiant’s brief account presented the Axios acquisition report alongside Mastercard’s completed BVNK purchase, without incorporating the Fireblocks denial in its headline and summary.

Existing stablecoin deals explain the strategic attention

The wider payments activity helps explain why the reported transaction drew attention, without establishing that Visa pursued it. Bitcoin Magazine reported that Mastercard agreed in March to acquire BVNK for up to $1.8 billion and completed that transaction in August. The Defiant also highlighted the completed purchase.

Visa already has a stablecoin infrastructure relationship outside Fireblocks. According to Bitcoin Magazine, it partnered with Zerohash in August to support stablecoin funding and payouts through Visa Direct.

Bitcoin Magazine further reported that Visa said in September that stablecoin settlement activity had exceeded a $20 billion annualized run rate. An annualized run rate expresses activity at a yearly pace rather than documenting a completed year’s total. For infrastructure operators, the distinction between partnership, internal development and acquisition matters because each creates a different ownership and integration relationship.

Confirmation and operating relationships remain the next checkpoints

The immediate development to watch is whether either company issues a substantive statement changing the status of the acquisition report. Any transaction announcement would also need to clarify the consideration and scope before the reported valuation comparison could be treated as a deal benchmark.

For Fireblocks customers and project teams assessing infrastructure exposure, the relevant distinction is between reported ownership discussions and announced operating arrangements. Bitcoin Magazine’s account of customer relationships and payment products describes the business involved; the acquisition reporting does not itself announce changes to those services.

CoinDesk’s separate reporting about possible Coinbase interest leaves another unresolved thread. Whether that interest produces a public proposal, or whether the speculation ends without a transaction, remains open.

Market snapshot

Asset	Price	24h	7d	Market cap
Bitcoin (BTC)	$81,539	-3.4%	+2.0%	$1.64 trillion

CoinGecko data as of 2026-10-22 (UTC).

FAQ

Has Visa agreed to buy Fireblocks?

No agreement has been confirmed in the reporting. Fireblocks disputed the reported acquisition, while Visa told Cointelegraph that it does not comment on rumors or speculation.

How does the reported Fireblocks price compare with its earlier valuation?

The reported acquisition price is about $2.5 billion. Cointelegraph said Fireblocks announced a valuation above $8 billion after its $550 million Series E in January 2022, but that historical funding valuation does not establish its current acquisition value.

Why is the Fireblocks report relevant to stablecoin payments?

Fireblocks operates custody and transfer infrastructure and launched a stablecoin payments network, according to Bitcoin Magazine. The report also follows Mastercard’s completed BVNK acquisition and Visa’s stablecoin partnership with Zerohash.

Sources

• Cointelegraph: Fireblocks disputes report of $2.5B Visa acquisition talks (2026-10-22)
• Bitcoin Magazine: Fireblocks Denies Report of $2.5 Billion Visa Takeover Talks (2026-10-22)
• CoinDesk: Crypto custody specialist Fireblocks denies it's in talks to be acquired by Visa (2026-10-22)
• The Defiant: Visa in Talks to Buy Fireblocks for About $2.5 Billion: Axios (2026-10-22)
• CoinGecko (market data)