Mastercard seeks to offload payments unit it paid $3.2bn for - FT

ChainWatcher · 2026-03-26T20:59:44+00:00

Mastercard is exploring the sale of its Nets unit, which generates $370 million in revenue. The sale may yield less than its initial acquisition cost seven years ago, as Mastercard aims to adapt to challenges in the payments landscape while pursuing new ventures like BVNK.

ChainWatcher

2026-03-26 20:59:44

Abstract generation in progress

The US giant has called in investment bankers to lead a sale, with private equity groups touted as possible bidders, says the FT, citing sources. Mastercard has declined to comment.

However, the unit - which generates around $370 million in annual revenues and $100 million in Ebitda - is likely to sell for far less than Mastercard paid for it seven years ago.

At the time of the acquisition, Mastercard was trying to position itself at the forefront of the move to real-time payments and acts as bulwark against the incursion of account-to-account payments into the credit card business, complementing the previous year’s acquisition of UK firm Vocalink.

The Nets agreement is still Mastercard’s biggest ever purchase, although the company has just agreed another major deal in an area challenging the traditional card market - a $1.8 billion move for stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK.

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