MoonPay Acquires Meso to Strengthen Its Global Payments Vision

• MoonPay acquires Meso to expand its vision of creating a unified global payments network connecting banks, cards, and blockchain.
• Former Meso leaders Ali Aghareza and Ben Mills join MoonPay, strengthening its global technology and product leadership team.

Crypto payment company MoonPay has officially acquired payments startup Meso as part of its ambitious plan to build a global payments network capable of connecting banks, card networks, stablecoins, and blockchains under a single regulatory framework.

Furthermore, this deal also brings two key figures from Meso into MoonPay’s executive ranks.

Ali Aghareza will now serve as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). He is no stranger to the world of payments technology, having previously been part of the early engineering team at Braintree, which was eventually acquired by PayPal.

Meanwhile, Ben Mills has been appointed Senior Vice President (SVP) of Product. He previously led product development at Venmo and has experience at Braintree, Thinkful, and Chegg.

Their additions are expected to strengthen MoonPay’s global product and technology direction, especially given their proven success in developing large-scale payment platforms.

From Gateway to Full Payment Infrastructure

In addition, MoonPay previously acquired Helio, a blockchain-based payment service provider specifically for the Solana network, and Iron, an infrastructure company for fintech and payments.

With this combination, MoonPay is moving closer to its vision of creating a unified payment network that can handle both fiat and crypto transactions across borders with clearer compliance standards.

However, the value of the Meso acquisition remains undisclosed. The timing of the full integration has not yet been announced. Nevertheless, this move underscores MoonPay’s shift from being known as a gateway for crypto assets (on-/off-ramps) to a much broader payment infrastructure provider.

If this strategy is successful, MoonPay could be on par with established players like Visa, Stripe, and Circle, which have long been working on bridging the gap between traditional financial systems and the crypto world.

On the other hand, regulatory challenges clearly lie ahead. Each jurisdiction has different rules regarding banking, money transfers, and the use of stablecoins. MoonPay has signaled awareness of the issue, stressing its intention to design a unified global network guided by clear regulations.

MoonPay Pushes Simplicity in Crypto Transfers

Expansion isn’t only about buying new companies—MoonPay is also adding useful tools. CNF highlighted its latest launch, MoonTags, which makes sending or receiving crypto as easy as typing a username.

Furthermore, MoonTags automatically selects the appropriate blockchain, reducing the risk of errors and simplifying cross-chain transfers.

Furthermore, at the end of August, we also highlighted the integration between MoonPay and Turnkey. This collaboration enables direct crypto purchases with fiat in over 160 countries without the need for redirects or external SDKs.

Developers simply use a single API to integrate this service, ultimately increasing conversions and user engagement.

This approach, pairing takeovers with new tools, highlights MoonPay’s ambition to be more than a straightforward fiat-crypto bridge.