Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, has announced plans to invest up to $2 billion in Polymarket, a leading crypto-powered prediction market platform. The deal values Polymarket at approximately $8 billion, signaling a strong endorsement of its potential and a major step forward for the platform’s U.S. ambitions.
The investment marks one of the most significant institutional moves into the world of decentralized betting and prediction markets. ICE, a heavyweight in traditional finance, appears to be betting that regulated, blockchain-based markets for forecasting events—such as elections, sports, and economic outcomes—could play a bigger role in the future of finance and public discourse.
Polymarket, founded in 2020, allows users to place real-money wagers on the outcomes of real-world events using cryptocurrency. The platform gained popularity for its sharp, crowd-sourced predictions, but regulatory concerns forced it to limit U.S. access in 2022. This investment could pave the way for a return to the U.S. market, with greater regulatory compliance and institutional backing.
The two companies confirmed the deal on Tuesday, shortly after a Wall Street Journal report first surfaced. ICE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Sprecher appeared last week alongside Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan at a regulatory roundtable hosted by the SEC and CFTC, indicating a growing dialogue between the platform and U.S. regulators.
“This is more than just a financial investment,” said a person familiar with the deal. “It’s a strategic move to legitimize and scale the prediction market space.”
Polymarket operates by aggregating user bets into real-time probability markets, which often reflect public sentiment more accurately and quickly than traditional polling. With ICE’s support, the platform could expand its reach, improve regulatory standing, and potentially integrate with more traditional financial services.
For ICE, this represents a bold foray into the decentralized web and the future of speculative information markets. For Polymarket, it could be the breakthrough moment that brings the company—and prediction markets as a whole—into the U.S. mainstream.
