“Bridging” the Gap

Stripe’s Acquisition of Bridge: A $1.1B Move
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Stripe’s recent announcement to acquire stablecoin startup Bridge for $1.1 billion signals a pivotal shift in the payments landscape.
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The payments ecosystem has always been a notoriously complex web. Companies like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express partner with banks to issue cards, monitor transactions, and approve payments.
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Acquirers like Chase and Bank of America provide merchant accounts and financing, often through third-party ISOs, while point-of-sale (POS) companies handle the hardware needs. It’s a multi-layered process, adding time and cost.
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Over a decade ago, Shopify sought to simplify things for its merchants. In 2013, the company launched ‘Shopify Payments’, powered by Stripe.
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For the first time, Shopify merchants could accept credit card payments in minutes, eliminating the need for multiple systems, gateways, and third-party providers. The partnership remains one of the most significant in the world of online payments.
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Enter Bridge:
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This week, Stripe’s acquisition of Bridge opens the door to further simplification. Bridge operates at the intersection of cross-border payments, real-time payments, and micropayments.
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Its stablecoin platform is already enabling businesses to move money across borders more efficiently. For Stripe, the acquisition signals yet another move to “simplify.”
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I’ve watched online commerce evolve over the years, and frankly, Stripe’s strategy has remained consistent: make payments frictionless, and do whatever is necessary to own the rails.
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They continue to hold to that playbook.