Polygon Labs Expands Stablecoin Payments Strategy With Coinme and Sequence Acquisitions

Polygon Labs Expands Stablecoin Payments Strategy With Coinme and Sequence Acquisitions
Table of Contents

TL;DR

  • Strategic acquisitions: Polygon Labs is buying Coinme and Sequence for $250 million to strengthen its regulated payments infrastructure and simplify digital asset movement for businesses.
  • Cash‑to‑crypto expansion: Coinme’s nationwide retail footprint and cash‑conversion system give Polygon a powerful onboarding channel, supporting its plan to generate revenue on a transaction basis.
  • Interoperability and tooling: Sequence adds enterprise smart wallets and cross‑chain payment routing, complementing Polygon’s new Open Money Stack.

Polygon Labs is moving deeper into the regulated payments arena after announcing plans to acquire Coinme and Sequence for a combined $250 million. The company said the deals will strengthen its push toward simplifying digital asset management for businesses, while positioning Polygon as a key infrastructure provider for an economy increasingly shaped by stablecoins and tokenized assets.

Building a Regulated Payments Stack

CEO Marc Boiron said the acquisitions are aimed at creating regulated middleware that allows firms to interact with blockchain networks through a single API. He emphasized that the goal is to streamline on‑ramps, off‑ramps, wallets, and cross‑chain fund flows. Coinme’s registration with FinCEN and its role powering more than 6,000 Coinstar kiosks give Polygon a direct path to physical cash conversions, which Boiron described as a Trojan horse for onboarding new crypto users.

Coinme’s Physical Reach and Strategic Value

Coinme’s cash‑to‑crypto system enables purchases at 50,000 U.S. retail locations, including major chains like Walmart. Boiron highlighted the simplicity of the process, where customers scan a barcode, hand cash to a cashier, and receive crypto instantly. Polygon sees this physical footprint as a critical bridge to mainstream adoption. Meanwhile, Coinstar’s service fees, which can reach 12.9% plus $0.99 per transaction, remain separate from Coinme’s operations but illustrate the scale of the broader ecosystem.

Sequence’s Wallet Infrastructure and Interoperability Tools

Sequence’s Wallet Infrastructure and Interoperability Tools

Polygon also pointed to Sequence’s enterprise smart wallets and its technology for routing payments across blockchains. Formerly Horizon Blockchain Games, Sequence recently launched a transaction coordination platform to address interoperability challenges. The acquisition follows Polygon’s earlier $450 million raise in 2022 and marks a shift toward generating revenue on a transaction‑based basis, which Boiron said could increase rewards for POL stakers.

Open Money Stack and Polygon’s Evolving Strategy

The company recently introduced the Open Money Stack, a toolkit supporting payments, lending, remittances, swaps, and foreign exchange. It also includes on‑chain identities, stablecoin interoperability, and wallet recovery features. While the company once relied on partners like Starbucks and Reddit for consumer exposure, Boiron said the new acquisitions will help the company build direct end‑user relationships. The Sequence deal is expected to close this month, while Coinme’s acquisition is slated for later this year.

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