Crypto payments firm Ripple has agreed to acquire brokerage house Hidden Road for $1.25 billion, marking one of the largest M&A deals in the cryptocurrency sector. This acquisition comes amid a resurgence in the crypto market, spurred by the re-election of President, which has led to expectations of looser regulations. Ripple's CEO highlighted the U.S. market's new openness to digital assets following the end of regulatory challenges posed by the previous SEC. Hidden Road processes approximately $3 trillion annually and serves over 300 institutional clients, including hedge funds. This acquisition follows several notable billion-dollar deals in the industry, including a recent acquisition by another cryptocurrency exchange. Despite some current market volatility due to economic tariff issues, venture funding in the crypto space saw a significant increase in the first quarter of 2025, totalling $3.8 billion across 220 deals. This figure reflects a remarkable 138% rise from the previous quarter, driven largely by substantial investments such as the largest one into a crypto company from an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm.

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