Crypto Mergers and Acquisitions Reach New Heights

The year 2025 has been a landmark for the cryptocurrency industry, with mergers and acquisitions (M&A) reaching an unprecedented $8.6 billion. This figure represents a substantial leap from the $2.17 billion recorded in the previous year, signaling a robust wave of consolidation and investment activity within the digital asset space, as reported by Whalesbook and KuCoin.

Policy Tailwinds and Deal Surge

The surge in M&A activity is largely attributed to supportive regulatory developments from the Trump administration, which established a federal framework for stablecoins and tokenized assets. This favorable policy environment fueled 267 deals, an 18% increase, with major transactions including Deribit, Kraken’s acquisition of NinjaTrader, and Ripple’s significant investments throughout the year, as noted by Coindesk.

Institutional Demand on the Rise

One of the most notable trends in 2025 was the increasing demand for bitcoin among institutional investors. According to SSGA, the broader US BTC ETF market grew 45% to $103B AUM, increasing institutional share slightly to 24.5%. Moreover, 60% of institutional investors report they prefer to gain exposure to crypto through registered vehicles.

Expanding Use Cases for Digital Assets

Beyond bitcoin, the use cases for digital assets are expanding. Grayscale notes that as more platforms complete their due diligence, build out capital market assumptions, and incorporate crypto into model portfolios, the list of institutions adopting crypto ETPs in their portfolios is expected to grow significantly in 2026.