New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) owner Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) is considering a stake in crypto company MoonPay with a valuation of around $5 billion.
According to Bloomberg on December 18 report That quotes sources familiar with the matter. ICE’s potential investment in the company comes as MoonPay nears the completion of its latest funding round.
MoonPay has embarked on a wave of expansion this year
Founded in 2019, MoonPay offers software that allows users to more easily switch between crypto and fiat currencies. The last funding round at a valuation of $3.4 billion took place towards the end of 2021, right around the peak of a bull market for the crypto space at the time.
MoonPay’s latest share sale comes after the company has been on an expansion drive this year, acquiring at least four startups before launching a stablecoin business. This followed the passage of the GENIUS Act by the US Congress and President Trump’s move to sign the bill into law, paving the way for wider use of stablecoins.
In addition to the acquisitions, expansion and latest round of funding, MoonPay also announced this week that Caroline Pham, acting chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), will join the company after Mike Selig is sworn in as the agency’s new leader.
I look forward to a successful confirmation of Mike Selig as the @CFTC’s next chairman and a smooth transition once he is sworn in. The future looks bright. Onwards and upwards 🚀
— Caroline D. Pham (@CarolineDPham) December 17, 2025
ICE is expanding into crypto markets
ICE’s reported interest in MoonPay is not the NYSE owner’s first foray into the crypto space. Earlier this year, the exchange owner announced that it had made a strategic investment in the decentralized prediction markets platform Polymarket.
Under the terms of the agreement, ICE will invest up to $2 billion in the company. This capital injection valued Polymarket at a pre-investment of approximately $8 billion. It also positions ICE as a key institutional backer of what was previously a largely crypto-native market.
Platforms such as Polymarket offer users the opportunity to bet on the outcomes of various real-world events. These events include politics, sports and more.
Polymarket home screen (Source: Polymarkt)
ICE said the investment is aimed at integrating Polymarket’s event-driven probability data into traditional financial workflows. As such, the deal will see ICE become a global distributor of Polymarket’s data to institutional investors.
The two companies also plan to collaborate on future tokenization initiatives.
2025 has been a big year for crypto deals and VC funding
This year saw several major deals announced by crypto companies and was also a strong year in venture capital (VC) financing.
To date, crypto and blockchain companies have raised nearly $19 billion in venture capital funding. That is the highest number since 2022, according to data from PitchBook.
Ripple managed to raise $500 million from investors in November in a round that also included funds affiliated with Fortress Investment Group and Citadel Securities. This increase occurred at a valuation of $40 billion.
In terms of acquisitions, Ripple has made several strategic purchases. The purchases included prime brokerage and treasury management companies. Meanwhile, US crypto exchange Coinbase has taken the lead as the company aims to create a crypto ‘everything app’.
That’s likely due to the friendlier regulatory environment surrounding the digital asset space in the US, as President Trump works to make the US the crypto capital of the world.
Since returning to the White House for a second term, Trump has placed pro-crypto leaders at key agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the U.S. Treasury Department.
Yesterday, the Senate also approved Trump’s picks for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Related articles:
Best Wallet – Diversify Your Crypto Portfolio
- Easy-to-use, feature-driven crypto wallet
- Get early access to upcoming token ICOs
- Multi-chain, multi-wallet, non-custodial
- Now in the App Store, Google Play
- Stake to earn native token $BEST
- 250,000+ monthly active users
#NYSE #owner #ICE #stake #MoonPay #billion #valuation