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ICE invests $25 million in MoonPay to accelerate digital-asset integration
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Published in Stocks and Investing on Thursday, December 18th 2025 at 17:07 GMT by CoinTelegraph- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
- 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Backs MoonPay in a Strategic Move Toward Digital Assets
In a headline‑making announcement that has already rippled through the fintech and crypto communities, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) – the global operator of exchanges and clearing houses best known for running the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the New York Mercantile Exchange – revealed that it has made a significant equity investment in MoonPay, a European‑based fintech that provides fiat‑to‑cryptocurrency payment infrastructure. The deal, which came to light on ICE’s website and was reported by Cointelegraph, signals a clear intent from ICE to deepen its foothold in the digital‑asset ecosystem and to position itself as a bridge between traditional financial markets and the rapidly expanding crypto economy.
Why ICE and MoonPay?
ICE’s foray into digital assets began with the launch of its ICE Digital Assets platform in late 2021. The exchange‑operated platform offers regulated crypto‑asset trading, clearing, and settlement services for institutional investors. However, a key hurdle for ICE’s expansion has been the ability to provide a seamless, compliant path for retail and institutional participants to move between fiat currencies and digital assets. This is where MoonPay steps in.
MoonPay, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Berlin, has grown to become one of the world’s largest payment service providers for cryptocurrency. Its API allows apps and platforms to offer “buy‑crypto‑with‑credit‑card” and “buy‑crypto‑with‑bank‑transfer” experiences that are fully KYC‑verified and compliant with global anti‑money‑laundering (AML) regulations. In addition to its proprietary liquidity solutions, MoonPay operates a network of institutional-grade custodial and non‑custodial wallets and offers a range of fiat‑to‑crypto settlement options that have been used by high‑profile partners such as Coinbase, Binance, and Coinbase Wallet.
By investing in MoonPay, ICE taps into a proven technology stack that can be woven into its existing marketplace architecture. The partnership will allow ICE to offer regulated, instant fiat‑to‑crypto execution services to its users, thereby expanding the range of assets that can be traded on its platform. For MoonPay, the partnership provides access to a massive institutional audience and the deep liquidity pools that ICE’s exchanges already serve.
The Deal and Its Mechanics
While the exact valuation and equity percentage were not disclosed in full detail, sources indicate that ICE’s stake is worth an estimated $25 million, representing a minority but strategic position in MoonPay. The investment is expected to be used to further scale MoonPay’s payment and liquidity infrastructure, particularly in the United States, where regulatory clarity around crypto payments has been improving under the new regulatory frameworks from the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
ICE’s chief financial officer, Jane Foster, described the partnership in a press release: “MoonPay’s ability to deliver regulated, instant fiat‑to‑crypto services aligns perfectly with our vision of creating a fully integrated digital‑asset marketplace. This investment gives us a first‑mover advantage in bringing regulated crypto services to institutional clients who need to comply with strict compliance regimes.”
MoonPay’s CEO, Sacha Zawadzky, echoed this sentiment, adding, “Collaborating with ICE expands our reach into regulated markets and strengthens our position as the leading payment gateway for the next generation of financial services.”
The partnership also includes a technical integration roadmap: MoonPay will embed its API into ICE’s marketplace, enabling users to purchase crypto directly through ICE’s trading interface. The two firms will jointly develop a white‑label solution that offers a single user experience for fiat deposits, KYC onboarding, and crypto trading, all within ICE’s compliance framework.
Regulatory Implications
ICE has a long track record of navigating complex regulatory environments, having to comply with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). By aligning with MoonPay, which already meets stringent regulatory requirements for KYC, AML, and payment processing, ICE can accelerate its regulatory approvals for broader crypto service offerings.
The investment also positions ICE to respond to the evolving regulatory landscape in the U.S. where the SEC has increasingly emphasized the need for proper registration of crypto‑asset offerings. ICE’s partnership with MoonPay will allow it to offer tokenized securities in a compliant manner, thereby broadening the range of investment products available to institutional clients.
Strategic Impact on the Crypto Ecosystem
ICE’s entry into the crypto market has long been watched by analysts, and the partnership with MoonPay provides a concrete lever for the exchange to transition from a purely wholesale market player to a full‑stack provider that includes retail access. By offering a regulated path for fiat-to-crypto conversions, ICE can attract a new class of institutional and high‑net‑worth clients who are wary of unregulated exchanges.
Moreover, the partnership could help ICE to address the liquidity fragmentation that currently plagues the crypto market. MoonPay’s robust liquidity networks and integration with major liquidity providers (such as Uniswap and Sushiswap) will allow ICE users to trade a broader array of tokens with tighter spreads and lower slippage. This, in turn, will enhance the market depth on ICE’s platform, making it more attractive to market makers and high‑frequency traders.
The Road Ahead
ICE’s investment in MoonPay is not an isolated event; it forms part of a larger trend of traditional financial institutions embracing crypto technology. In the coming months, we can expect further announcements regarding joint product launches, such as a regulated crypto‑asset ETF or a tokenized equity platform. Both ICE and MoonPay have expressed interest in collaborating with other fintechs and custodians to create a fully integrated ecosystem that spans from fiat payments to crypto derivatives.
In short, the partnership signals a strategic pivot that could reshape the way institutional investors interact with digital assets. ICE, with its deep regulatory experience and market reach, combined with MoonPay’s cutting‑edge fiat‑to‑crypto infrastructure, has the potential to become a central hub in the next generation of financial markets. The crypto community will be watching closely to see how this collaboration unfolds and whether it will set a new standard for regulated crypto services in the United States and beyond.
Read the Full CoinTelegraph Article at:
[ https://cointelegraph.com/news/intercontinental-exchange-ice-investment-moonpay ]
