CoinGecko co-founder addresses $500 million sale rumors amid crypto M&A surge

CoinGecko’s founder has responded to rumors that the platform is exploring a potential sale at a valuation of around $500 million, with investment bank Moelis reportedly on board as adviser. 

The discussion reportedly started in late 2025 amid a proliferation of crypto mergers and acquisitions, which reached record levels in 2025 and have shown no signs of slowing down this year. 

What did CoinGecko’s co-founder say about the sale rumors?

In a post shared on X, one of the platform’s co-founders, Bobby Ong, acknowledged there have been a lot of questions following recent media reports. 

He expressed honor at the obvious interest, then went on to admit that as a growing and profitable company, he and his cofounder, who have been running the platform for over a decade, regularly evaluate “strategic opportunities to strengthen our business and accelerate our mission.” 

Ong claimed the company is currently operating from a position of strength, but is also well aware of the growing, profitable, and rising institutional demand. 

“While we don’t comment on specific discussions, we’re excited about possibilities that help us serve users better and support the institutional adoption of crypto,” he claimed. However, for now, he said CoinGecko will continue to operate “business as usual” with no change to how they work or deliver trustworthy data. 

He ended the post by thanking users for their continued support, but many did not miss one crucial detail. The post did not outrightly deny that a potential sale was in the works, but it did not actively confirm it either. 

This could mean the company is open to opportunities, like he said. What it does not dispute is the company’s stability and profitability. It could even be interpreted as a signal for those interested to offer higher amounts. 

However, that is all speculation. 

In the comment section, users piled in with advice, urging the founders to instead go public so that retail users would have a chance to grab a piece of the pie. Others just outrightly begged for the platform to remain as it is because any drastic changes could alter the quality of data. 

Crypto M&A activity has gone up since 2025 

Since institutions started taking the cryptocurrency industry more seriously, mergers and acquisitions have gone up. However, CoinGecko stands out as one of the oldest platforms that is still relevant while remaining resistant to external funding.  

According to a recent report from Architect Partners, crypto M&A activity reached record levels in 2025, with deals linked to crypto investments accounting for about 27% of overall activity

The trend has shown no signs of stopping this year, as there are already rumors of Strive securing shareholder approval to proceed with its acquisition of Semler Scientific. Some of the biggest M&A transactions in 2025 were Kraken’s purchase of NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion and Ripple’s $1.25 billion takeover of Hidden Road. 

Even CoinMarketCap, one of the few platforms that can stand toe to toe with CoinGecko in the area of data analysis, already gave in to external funding as far back as 2020, when it was acquired by giant exchange Binance for an estimated $400 million. 

The platform still puts out great news and credible data. However, with all the rumors flying around and Ong’s nondefinitive statement, users are now forced to wonder how long CoinGecko will continue to resist external funding.  

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