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Digital asset company Bakkt completed its acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure firm Distributed Technologies Research (DTR) through an equity-based transaction as part of its bid to create a digital settlement layer.

Bakkt CEO Akshay Naheta said on Thursday that the deal aims to combine Bakkt’s institutional infrastructure with DTR’s native artificial intelligence payments engine and stablecoin technology to create a 24/7 digital settlement layer.

“The architecture of money movement rarely evolves at this level,” he said. “This transaction accelerates the re-platforming of global financial infrastructure. By fully integrating DTR's technology, we are introducing stablecoin functionality as a critical bridge between legacy financial systems and the next generation of digital assets.”

The global stablecoin market has grown to roughly $320 billion, with adoption expanding across both developed and emerging economies as banks and institutions seek to leverage the technology for faster payments and other benefits.

Source: Bakkt

Acquisition deal completed through share issuance

As part of the deal, Bakkt issued more than 11.3 million shares to the beneficial holders of DTR, with the possibility of an additional 725,592 shares, according to the announcement.

The deal was initially revealed in January and originally involved 9.3 million shares. The company also announced a corporate name change to Bakkt Inc. at the same time.

Ahead of the deal’s completion, Bakkt’s share price (BKKT) fell roughly 8% to $7.86 by Wednesday’s close, but recovered to $8.62 by Thursday’s market close.

Bakkt’s share price fell Wednesday but has since risen 10%. Source: Google Finance

Bakkt threatened with delisting in 2024

Founded in 2018, Bakkt is 55% owned by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), which also owns the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), and has received backing from major partners such as Starbucks and Mastercard.

In March 2024, the company disclosed to regulators that there was “significant uncertainty associated with our expansion to new markets and the growth of our revenue base, given the uncertain and rapidly evolving environment associated with crypto assets.”

By March 2024, the NYSE threatened to delist Bakkt’s shares because the price had fallen below $1 and remained there for 30 days.

Months later, reports said Donald Trump’s media and tech group, Trump Media, was in advanced talks to acquire the company but the deal ultimately fell through.

The company has since launched multiple fundraising rounds through share sales, with the latest, in February, aiming to raise $48 million.

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