Paxos Acquires Crypto Wallet Startup Fordefi to Expand Custody Services

Core Insights - Paxos has acquired Fordefi, a wallet provider startup, to enhance its custody offerings as institutional adoption of digital assets increases. The acquisition is reported to be over $100 million [1][2]. Company Overview - Paxos acts as a regulated custodian for major financial institutions, including PayPal and Mastercard, and issues PayPal's $3.7 billion stablecoin PYUSD. It is also the leading entity behind the $975 million Global Dollar (USDG) stablecoin [2]. Industry Trends - The acquisition of crypto wallet providers is becoming common as financial firms seek to expand their digital services. Wallet providers are essential for managing and transferring blockchain-based assets, including cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets [3]. Strategic Goals - By acquiring Fordefi, Paxos aims to provide a more flexible custody infrastructure for clients involved in stablecoin issuance, asset tokenization, or crypto payment systems. Paxos CEO Charles Cascarilla emphasized the need for a trusted regulated partner for complex wallet and custody needs [4]. Technology and Operations - Fordefi, founded in 2021, serves nearly 300 institutional clients and utilizes multi-party computation (MPC) to enhance security by splitting transaction approvals across multiple devices. Paxos had previously invested in Fordefi's $10 million fundraising round [4]. Future Operations - Fordefi will continue to operate independently during the integration process with Paxos, maintaining its team and platform [5].