Crypto custody specialist Fireblocks denies it's in talks to be acquired by Visa

A Fireblocks spokesperson said the acquisition talks were “news to us, and not true at present time.”Fireblocks previously raised $550 million at an $8 billion valuation back in 2022.Cryptocurrency custody firm Fireblocks dismissed reports it is in talks with Visa (V) to be acquired for $2.5 billion. Axios, citing multiple unidentified sources, said the company was in late-stage talks with Visa.“We are aware of the rumors about a possible acquisition of Fireblocks by Visa. This is news to us, and not true at present time,” a Fireblocks spokesperson said soon after the Axios story broke.Fireblocks specializes in crypto custody using advanced pre-key sharding technologies such as multi-party computation (MPC). A $2.5 billion purchase would be a marked drop in value since 2022, when Fireblocks raised $550 million at an $8 billion valuation.That said, smoke has been circulating over the past three or four weeks about a potential sale of the business, with anonymous sources telling CoinDesk U.S.-listed Coinbase Global COIN$170.04 was also in the frame to buy Fireblocks.After this story was published, Coinbase denied it was involved in a possible transaction. Visa did not respond to requests for comment.UPDATE (Oct. 22, 15:24 UTC): Adds Coinbase denial in final paragraph.If you know more and want to discuss, reach out to Ian Allison on Signal at +44 7427686132.12345678910