What to Know:
- Polygon has acquired Coinme and Sequence for over $250 million to strengthen its stablecoin and payments strategy.
- Coinme adds regulated fiat-to-crypto access, while Sequence provides wallet and blockchain infrastructure.
- The moves position Polygon to compete with Stripe as stablecoins gain traction under clearer US regulation.
Polygon Labs has acquired two crypto startups, Coinme and Sequence, in deals valued at more than $250 million combined. The company declined to reveal the exact breakdown of the transactions or whether the acquisitions were financed through cash, equity, or a combination of both.
Polygon Labs Acquires Crypto Firms Coinme and Sequence
BREAKING: Polygon to become U.S. regulated payments platform
We’re acquiring Coinme and Sequence to move all money onchain.
→ Regulated money movement in 48 states
→ Fiat on/off ramps
→ 50,000 fiat-to-crypto locations in the U.S.
→ Easy onboarding with wallet infra
→… pic.twitter.com/lwvLheEc3P— Polygon | POL (@0xPolygon) January 13, 2026
In interviews, Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron and Polygon Foundation founder Sandeep Nailwal described the acquisitions as building blocks for a broader payments strategy anchored in stablecoins.
Coinme, based in Seattle, brings regulatory reach and real-world infrastructure. The firm specializes in converting cash into cryptocurrency and operates through a wide network of crypto ATMs. It also holds multiple money transmitter licenses across the United States, a credential that remains difficult and time-consuming to secure. For Polygon, that regulatory footing offers a pathway into compliant, consumer-facing payments at scale.
Sequence, headquartered in New York, operates in a different layer of the stack. The company builds blockchain infrastructure, including wallet technology designed to simplify how users store and interact with digital assets. Together, the two acquisitions give Polygon both the rails and the on-ramps needed to move value across its network.
Nailwal said the strategy places Polygon on a collision course with Stripe, the global payments giant that has spent the past year assembling its own stablecoin and crypto capabilities. Stripe has acquired a stablecoin startup, purchased a crypto wallet company, and launched a blockchain designed specifically for payments. The pattern points toward ownership of the entire stablecoin stack, from backend processing to user accounts.
Polygon’s approach follows a different route. The company already operates a mature network of blockchains built on top of Ethereum. Instead of starting with payments infrastructure and moving toward a chain, Polygon is adding payments-focused companies to an existing network. Nailwal described the result as Polygon Labs expanding into a full-fledged fintech operation.
Stablecoins have revived interest after a regulatory framework was signed into law in the United States in July. Since then, fintech firms, large technology companies, and traditional banks have all signaled plans to issue or support their own stablecoins, viewing them as a faster and more programmable alternative to legacy payment systems.
Polygon is positioning itself to benefit from that shift. The network rose to prominence during the NFT boom of 2021 and 2022, but has since redirected capital and talent toward payments. Over the past year, Polygon has made several strategic investments and even recruited John Egan, Stripe’s former head of crypto, to help shape its payments ambitions.
Reports have estimated that Coinme’s acquisition price fell between $100 million and $125 million, suggesting a higher valuation for Sequence. Boiron disputed those figures, saying external reporting had mischaracterized the transactions. He also dismissed concerns tied to Coinme’s past regulatory scrutiny.
In 2025, regulators in California and Washington cited Coinme for compliance failures, including lapses in daily transaction limits at affiliated crypto ATMs. Washington regulators later paused enforcement action after engaging with the company. Boiron said Coinme’s compliance systems exceed regulatory requirements and described its internal controls as advanced and effective at limiting user risk.
The acquisitions arrive at a moment when Polygon’s own token performance remains under pressure. The token was trading around $0.1514, down roughly 0.7 percent over the past 24 hours at the time of reporting. Market fluctuations aside, Polygon’s leadership appears focused on long-term positioning rather than short-term price action.
Also Read: Polygon Resolves Finality Lag After Major NPM Supply Chain Attack
