Why Mastercard paid double for stablecoin infrastructure it could have built

What: Mastercard acquired a stablecoin infrastructure company for **$2.5 billion**.
Why: The company, CipherTrace, had a strong track record of anti-money laundering and compliance solutions.
Signal: This acquisition signals Mastercard's growing interest in the digital assets space.
Target: The target market for CipherTrace's technology is expected to be **$20 billion** by 2028.
Risk: The high acquisition price may pose a risk to Mastercard's profit margins in the short term.