Key Highlights
- Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) is reportedly in discussion to make a major investment in the cryptocurrency payments company MoonPay.
- The owner of NYSE is in advanced discussions to participate in a new funding round for MoonPay, which could value the crypto firm at approximately $5 billion
- This report comes after the revelation that CFTC’s Acting Chairman, Caroline D. Pham, is likely to join MoonPay
Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE), the leading company that owns the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), is negotiating a major investment in the cryptocurrency payments company MoonPay.
According to Bloomberg, Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE), the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, is in talks to invest in crypto payments firm MoonPay Inc. as part of a funding round nearing completion that is targeting a valuation of about $5 billion, according to people…
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) December 18, 2025
According to the latest report from Bloomberg, ICE is in advanced discussions to participate in a new funding round for MoonPay. People familiar with the private talks indicated this round could value the crypto firm at approximately $5 billion, a major rise from its last valuation of $3.4 billion in 2021.
MoonPay to Build Regulated Gateway
These major developments highlight MoonPay’s plan to establish itself as the most trusted bridge between traditional finance and the crypto economy.
For ICE, this investment is the latest part of its campaign to expand into digital assets. The exchange giant already owns the crypto platform Bakkt and recently committed up to $2 billion to the blockchain prediction market Polymarket.
Analysts call this Moonpay deal a major strategy to control critical infrastructure. By investing in a leading, regulated “on-ramp” for converting cash to crypto, ICE would secure a major piece of the ecosystem that feeds into trading, data, and custody services across its businesses.
The market has reacted positively to this convergence of Wall Street and crypto infrastructure. Crypto funding has surged in late 2025 amid a more supportive regulatory environment. MoonPay’s rising valuation reflects strong investor belief in companies that build the essential rails for mainstream adoption, particularly in areas like stablecoin payments.
If this deal happens, ICE’s fresh capital would provide MoonPay with enormous resources and credibility to achieve its global goals. It includes expansion to its new stablecoin business.
It will set an example as it provides the cryptocurrency sector with the validation of major financial institutions. The owner of the world’s most popular stock exchange is making an investment by believing that the crypto payment companies will be an important bridge to connect the future of finance.
CFTC Acting Chairman Set to Join MoonPay as CLAO
The news comes just one pay after MoonPay made a high-profile announcement about its leadership. The company revealed that Caroline D. Pham, the acting chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), will leave her regulatory post to become MoonPay’s Chief Legal and Administrative Officer.
Her move will be official upon the Senate confirmation of her successor, Mike Selig. MoonPay CEO Ivan Soto-Wright called Pham the ideal person to lead the firm’s “next chapter of growth and compliance excellence.”
Ahead of her departure, Caroline Pham has taken major decisions to bring regulatory clarity to the cryptocurrency sector. Under a new policy shift, she actively worked to roll out a crypto sprint to start implementation of the recommendations in the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets report.
“Under my leadership this year, the CFTC has led the way forward into America’s Golden Age of Innovation and Crypto,” she said earlier.
“The CFTC is wasting no time in fulfilling President Trump’s vision to make America the crypto capital of the world,” Acting Chairman Pham stated in the earlier press release. “We will work closely with SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Hester Peirce to achieve Project Crypto. Providing regulatory clarity now and fostering innovation in digital asset markets will deliver on the Administration’s promise to usher in a Golden Age of Crypto.”
Also Read: CFTC Acting Chair Caroline Pham to Join MoonPay as CLAO: Report
