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Capital One agrees to acquire credit card, stablecoin payment enabler Brex
In a press release from September, Brex said it was planning to launch native stablecoin payments as part of its business.
Jan 22, 2026, 10:27 p.m.
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What to know:
- Capital One agreed to acquire fintech startup Brex for $5.15 billion in a cash-and-stock deal that will fold Brex into its commercial banking and payments business.
- Brex, founded in 2017, built a major presence by offering corporate cards and integrated cash management tools for startups and larger enterprises.
- The acquisition gives Capital One a foothold in emerging payment technologies, including Brex’s planned stablecoin-based instant payments.
Capital One Financial Corp. has agreed to acquire fintech startup Brex in a deal valued at $5.15 billion, expanding the bank’s push into technology-driven corporate finance and payments.
Under the terms of the agreement, Capital One will pay 50% in cash and 50% in stock for Brex, the companies said on Thursday. The acquisition would fold one of Silicon Valley’s best-known financial technology firms into Capital One’s commercial banking and payments business.
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Capital One founder and CEO Richard Fairbank said in a statement that Brex has reshaped how fast-growing companies manage their finances.
Founded in 2017, Brex built its reputation by offering corporate cards and cash management tools tailored to startups and technology companies, later expanding to serve larger enterprises. Its platform combines payments, expense management, and banking services, positioning the company at the intersection of fintech and enterprise software.
The deal is also notable for Brex’s growing relevance to the crypto and digital assets sector.
In September 2025, Brex announced plans to launch native stablecoin payments, saying it would become the first global corporate card platform to enable instant balance payments using stablecoins.
“Stablecoins make it possible to move millions of dollars across borders in seconds,” Brex CEO Pedro Franceschi said in that announcement, adding that Brex aimed to give companies a single, secure platform to manage critical payments.
Several crypto and blockchain-focused firms, including Figure, Solana, and Alchemy, joined the waitlist for the stablecoin product, underscoring Brex’s traction in the digital asset ecosystem.
If completed, the acquisition would give Capital One a foothold in emerging payment technologies while bringing Brex under the umbrella of a major U.S. bank, as stablecoins and crypto-related infrastructure continue to edge closer to the financial mainstream.
AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy.
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