Stripe has finalized its acquisition of Bridge for $1.1 billion, marking it as one of the largest acquisitions in the cryptocurrency sector. This move is expected to integrate stablecoins more deeply into Stripe's core offerings. Concurrently, Tether has minted an additional $1 billion in USDT on the TRON network, contributing to a total of $2 billion minted since the start of 2025. Circle has also minted $250 million in USDC on the Solana network, bringing its total to $6.5 billion for the year. The growing activity in stablecoins reflects a broader trend, with the total stablecoin market cap surpassing $222.4 billion, driven by increased liquidity and transaction volumes that have outpaced traditional payment networks. Notably, stablecoin transactions reached $15.6 trillion in 2024, exceeding those of Visa and Mastercard combined.