Bakkt Acquires Stablecoin Provider DTR And Announces Corporate Rebrand To Strengthen Payments And Banking

Bakkt Holdings Acquires Distributed Technologies Research To Strengthen Stablecoin PaymentsBakkt Holdings has agreed to acquire Distributed Technologies Research Ltd., a global stablecoin payment infrastructure provider, as part of its strategy to expand in digital payments and banking.Bakkt has entered into an agreement to acquire Distributed Technologies Research Ltd., strengthening our global stablecoin settlement and programmable payments infrastructure.The transaction supports Bakkt’s evolution into a unified financial infrastructure platform and… pic.twitter.com/LknM40aUI2— Bakkt (@Bakkt) January 12, 2026Under the terms of the deal, DTR shareholders will receive approximately 9.13 million shares of Bakkt’s Class A common stock, representing 31.5% of the “Bakkt Share Number” defined in their March 19, 2025, Cooperation Agreement.The final number of shares may change before the transaction closes, which remains subject to regulatory approvals and Bakkt shareholder consent.$BKKT Company Acquisition:Bakkt Holdings, Inc. announced it will acquire Distributed Technologies Research Global Ltd. by issuing shares equal to 31.5% of its Class A common stock on January 9, 2026. This event is significant due to the substantial nature of the transaction for…— SEC Filings Digest (@USCorpFilings) January 12, 2026Akshay Naheta, founder of DTR, currently serves as CEO of both companies.Naheta, who previously held senior executive roles at SoftBank Group overseeing investments in ARM, Auto1, and Nvidia, was appointed co-CEO of Bakkt in March 2025 alongside then-CEO Andy Main.ICE, operator of the New York Stock Exchange and other major financial markets, continues to hold roughly 31% of Bakkt’s shares and has pledged to vote in favour of the acquisition.Bakkt to Acquire Stablecoin Infrastructure Provider DTR Following Sale Speculation, The company will issue roughly 9.13 million shares for the acquisition.The firm plans 2026 corporate rebrand; ICE agrees to vote its shares in favour. pic.twitter.com/MjatdS93Z5— D (@DateeD1) January 12, 2026DTR Technology Set To Accelerate Bakkt’s ExpansionBakkt’s board members, Colleen Brown and Mike Alfred, who formed the independent special committee reviewing the acquisition, stated that DTR’s technology will reduce reliance on third-party providers and accelerate the company’s time-to-market capabilities for stablecoin settlement.The acquisition is expected to support future revenue generation across payments and banking services, including Bakkt’s plans to launch neobanking offerings with multiple distribution partners in the coming months.This has been known since the cooperation agreement was signed last year in March when the new $BKKT CEO took over so shouldn't be a surprise to anyoneDTR is providing Bakkt with the tech layer to enable them to operate as a stablecoin infrastructure provider, seems pretty good… pic.twitter.com/bhVq5yriT8— Danny Marques | Investing Informant (@Invst_Informant) January 12, 2026The deal marks the culmination of Bakkt’s pivot to a B2B2C financial infrastructure model, following the sale of its loyalty rewards business and acquisition of money transmitter licences to operate crypto trading, transfers, and settlements across all 50 US states.Corporate Changes And Clean Balance Sheet Position Bakkt For GrowthBakkt plans to change its corporate name to Bakkt, Inc. from 22 January 2026 while continuing to trade under the NYSE ticker BKKT.In November 2025, the company simplified its capital structure by converting to a single class of common stock and aligning governance and economic rights for all shareholders.It also redeemed its outstanding convertible debenture due June 2026, removing all remaining long-term debt and operating with a clean balance sheet to support its strategy as a crypto infrastructure platform.$BKKTBakkt Holdings, today announced it has redeemed its outstanding 0.00% convertible debenture due June 18, 2026, eliminating all remaining long-term debt.all obligations under the debenture, issued in June 2024, have been satisfied in full. Bakkt now has no outstanding debt.— Lawren ADA (@ada_lawren) September 15, 2025Naheta described the acquisition as “the culmination of a single, cohesive strategy,” noting that bringing DTR fully into Bakkt completes the transformation into a unified global financial infrastructure platform, combining Bakkt’s regulatory framework and market presence with DTR’s technology.The company plans to provide more details on integration and strategic vision during its Investor Day on 17 March 2026.🔔 A Few Key Updates:1. @Bakkt + DTR: accelerate programmable payments & stablecoin infrastructure2. Investor Day set for March 17 at NYSE3. A new $BKKT: Company to operate as Bakkt, Inc. effective Jan 224. https://t.co/maUvBCn9zj refreshed and updated…— Akshay Naheta (@Akshay_Naheta) January 12, 2026Shares of BKKT rose 18% to close at $19.21 following the announcement, reflecting investor optimism over the transaction.