Bridge Network

Bridge Network, founded in 2022 by Zach Abrams and Sean Yu, was a San Francisco-based fintech company focused on stablecoin infrastructure and APIs for developers, operating under Bridge Ventures LLC. Acquired by Stripe, Inc. in February 2025 for $1.1 billion, Bridge provided a platform to simplify global money movement using stablecoins, cryptographic digital assets pegged to fiat currencies like USD or EUR. The company enabled businesses to integrate stablecoin payments, offering fast, low-cost cross-border transactions and currency conversion. Bridge served clients like SpaceX, Coinbase, and Bitso, and partnered with aid organizations and governments to disburse funds. Its mission was to transform global financial systems by reducing friction in traditional payment rails like SWIFT, which often incur high fees (3-4%) and delays (days).

Business/Product Breakdown
Bridge offered a stablecoin-based payment platform with developer-friendly APIs for seamless integration into existing financial systems. Its core products included:
Orchestration APIs: Enabled businesses to move, store, and accept stablecoins (e.g., USDC, PYUSD, USDT), converting between fiat (USD, EUR) and digital currencies via a single API. Transactions settled in minutes at ~10% of traditional FX costs.

Issuance APIs: Allowed companies to issue custom stablecoins, earning rewards and settling transactions across currencies.

Cross-Border Payments: Facilitated instant, 24/7 B2B payments, e.g., MXN to USD via Bitso in LATAM, bypassing SWIFT delays.

Digital Wallets: Managed onchain security and gas fees, enabling scalable wallet creation for stablecoin storage and spending.

Card Programs: Supported global spending with revenue-sharing for each transaction.

Dollar-Access: Enabled consumers in LATAM and Africa (via Chipper Cash, Dolar App) to save and spend in USD/EUR, addressing currency volatility.

Bridge's platform supported use cases like government aid payouts, creator platform disbursements, and corporate treasury repatriation (e.g., SpaceX's multi-currency payments). The company was a registered Money Services Business with FinCEN, compliant with U.S. regulations (NMLS #2450917), and operated in the EEA via Bridge Building Sp. Z.o.o. in Poland. Revenue came from transaction fees, API subscriptions, and enterprise contracts, with no monthly commitment fees, unlike competitors.