The blockchain-based payments sector witnessed a historic capital influx in 2025, with companies raising a combined $6.2 billion, a staggering increase of over 1,000% from the $540 million raised in 2024. This surge underscores a massive institutional bet on blockchain infrastructure to replace traditional financial settlement systems.
The funding was anchored by several mega-rounds. Stablecoin issuer Circle led the charge with a $1.05 billion initial public offering (IPO) in June, which priced shares at $31 for an $8.06 billion valuation backed by 15 investment banks including JP Morgan, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs. Its share price soared to over $123 on its debut day. Blockchain lending platform Figure followed with a $1 billion IPO in September, valuing the company at $7.6 billion.
Other major contributors included Ripple, which completed a $500 million private round at a $40 billion valuation led by Fortress Investment Group, Citadel Securities, and others. Tempo and Rapyd each also raised $500 million. Collectively, these five firms were responsible for more than half of the year's total funding.
The momentum continued through the year's end. RedotPay, a stablecoin payments platform, raised $107 million in a Series B round. Other significant raises included AlloyX ($350 million), and Rail Financial and Moonpay (each $200 million). Observers note that the pro-cryptocurrency regulatory posture of the Trump administration, including the signing of the GENIUS Act, has emboldened investors.
Beyond capital, 2025 saw the maturation of payment-focused blockchain infrastructure. Analyst Alex Obchakevich noted that over 35 networks are now active, with Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, and Base identified as top-tier payment chains due to partnerships with giants like Stripe, Visa, and PayPal. New infrastructures like Tempo, Plasma, and Arc emerged specifically to optimize global stablecoin payments. Tron and Ripple remain fundamentally important, with Tron processing over half of all global USDT transactions, while Celo has made significant inroads in Africa and Asia.
