On November 13, 2025, cryptocurrency payments firm MoonPay announced its entry into the stablecoin market, launching a new business to issue and manage dollar-pegged tokens for enterprise clients. This strategic move positions the company as an end-to-end provider for businesses looking to leverage tokenized dollars, capitalizing on the growing demand following recent U.S. legislation that has brought regulatory clarity to the sector.
A Strategic Expansion Beyond Payments
MoonPay is leveraging its existing money transmitter licenses to offer stablecoin issuance services across all U.S. states. This new enterprise-level service represents a significant expansion beyond its core business of converting between traditional fiat currency and cryptocurrencies.
The initiative is built on a foundation of strategic acquisitions and key hires. To power the technical backbone of the service, MoonPay acquired the stablecoin infrastructure platform Iron for a nine-figure sum exceeding $100 million. Furthermore, the company has bolstered its expertise by bringing on executives from Paxos, a recognized leader in the stablecoin space. Zach Kwartler, formerly of Paxos, now leads MoonPay’s stablecoin division.
Bridging Crypto and Traditional Finance
A cornerstone of MoonPay’s strategy is its deepening partnership with global payments giant Mastercard. The collaboration, first announced in May 2025, aims to connect Mastercard-branded cards to crypto wallets. The ambitious goal is to enable people and businesses to pay and be paid using stablecoins at over 150 million locations worldwide where Mastercard is accepted.
This vision is part of MoonPay’s broader philosophy to ensure “backwards compatibility to the existing financial system”. As CEO Ivan Soto-Wright stated, “We’re upgrading money for the internet… Everything about MoonPay has been built around backwards compatibility to the existing financial system. So we want to plug in every single payment across every single part of the world”.
Leveraging Compliance as a Competitive Edge
In a market where trust and regulation are paramount, MoonPay is positioning its extensive licensing and compliance infrastructure as a key competitive advantage. The company highlights that it is licensed to operate across the United States, the UK, European Union, and Australia. Its services are built with enterprise-grade security, including SOC2, ISO, and PCI compliance.
This established regulatory framework is crucial for the new stablecoin issuance service. MoonPay handles complex compliance processes like Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) for its clients, which now spans over 30 million verified users. This extensive, pre-verified user base and strong licensing position MoonPay as a trusted partner for corporate treasuries and payment providers seeking a regulated on-ramp to digital assets.
The launch of MoonPay’s stablecoin business signals a significant maturation in the crypto infrastructure landscape, offering businesses a streamlined, compliant path to create and manage their own digital currencies for a new era of global payments.
