The crypto industry is closing out the year with a record $8.6 billion in mergers and acquisitions, according to the FT, up sharply from $2.17 billion the year before.
The flurry of deals comes amid a major political shift in Washington, where the Trump administration has supported the sector with a series of regulatory developments, including the GENIUS Act, which created a federal framework for stablecoins and paved the way for institutions to settle tokenized assets.
White House support helped secure 267 deals, an 18% increase from 2024, the story continues.
The biggest deal of the year was Coinbase’s acquisition of crypto derivatives platform Deribit for $2.9 billion, marking the largest M&A deal in the industry’s history.
Kraken’s $1.5 billion purchase of NinjaTrader and Ripple’s $1.25 billion takeover of Hidden Road followed closely behind.
But it’s not just about the White House. Legal experts say at least some of those purchases were driven by a rush for licenses.
As new compliance rules take hold globally, including those regarding stablecoins and the EU’s MiCA framework, financial institutions are acquiring companies with approved licenses to accelerate their entry into crypto markets.
