By Riley Kaminer
Will 2025 be the year of web3 acquisitions?
It just might be, if this week’s news from MoonPay is any signal.
The Miami-based leader in digital asset payments has announced its acquisition of UK startup Helio, Solana’s top crypto payment processor. This $175 million acquisition solidifies MoonPay’s role as a bridge between traditional finance and the emerging world of decentralized commerce.
Known for its seamless on-ramps for buying and selling crypto, MoonPay is now expanding deeper into merchant services, aiming to offer the most comprehensive on-chain payment solution in the market.
Ivan Soto-Wright, MoonPay’s co-founder and CEO, emphasized how critical this acquisition is to MoonPay’s broader strategy.
“Helio’s technology and expertise strengthen our ability to deliver efficient, secure, and scalable solutions for crypto commerce, trading infrastructure, and marketplaces,” Soto-Wright said in a statement. “With MoonPay and Helio combined, we now offer the most comprehensive product for on-chain payments.”
Founded in 2018, MoonPay built its reputation by simplifying the process of buying and selling cryptocurrencies for millions of users worldwide. The platform has partnered with industry giants like PayPal and Venmo, expanding the ways users can onboard into the crypto ecosystem. But Soto-Wright and his team have always had much grander ambitions: to make crypto a trusted and mainstream method for everyday transactions. Acquiring Helio is a key part of that plan.
Launched in 2022 during a challenging market, Helio grew rapidly by focusing on solving key pain points for merchants and creators – all with the ultimate goal of making crypto payments as fast and reliable as traditional transactions. The platform supports payments in various digital currencies such as USDC, SOL, BTC, and ETH, and has integrations with major digital platforms like Shopify, Discord, and WooCommerce. The benefits Helio gives merchants include instant settlement, lower fees, and the elimination of intermediaries that can slow down the payment process.
Within its first year, Helio reached $1 million in payment volume, driven by strong demand for decentralized payment options at events like the Solana Hacker House in Paris. Today, Helio powers over 6,000 merchants and has processed more than $1.5 billion in transactions. Its developer API allows businesses to create customized checkout flows, making it easier for decentralized exchanges, marketplaces, and apps to streamline their payment operations.
For Helio’s co-founder and CEO, Stijn Paumen, the opportunity to join MoonPay was a natural fit. “Joining forces with MoonPay, we’re excited to accelerate our mission and unlock crypto’s potential by replacing slow, costly merchant payments with fast, affordable, and decentralized solutions,” he shared.
As regulatory clarity improves and stablecoin adoption grows, more companies are looking for ways to integrate crypto into their payment ecosystems. MoonPay’s global reach and regulatory expertise put it in a strong position to lead the DeFi charge, while Helio’s API and merchant network bring crucial capabilities that appeal to early adopters and mainstream businesses alike.
The long-term goal? To make decentralized payments so simple and effective that they become a standard part of commerce across industries. From Miami to the blockchain and beyond.
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