The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), owner of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the world's largest exchange company, has announced a massive $2 billion investment in prediction markets platform Polymarket.
The deal, disclosed by CEO Shayne Coplan on 7 October, values the company at $9 billion post-money.
Markets on everything.
- Shayne Coplan 🦅 (@shayne_coplan) October 7, 2025
We're proud to announce that $ICE, the owner of @@NYSE and the largest exchange company in the world, is making a strategic investment of $2 billion into Polymarket, valuing us at $9 billion post-money.
Our partnership with ICE marks a major step in... pic.twitter.com/oShaglRx9p
This historic investment represents the most significant ever made in a single prediction market and positions the sector as an emerging battleground in cryptocurrency, where institutional capital is seeking on-chain infrastructure with real-world utility.
Lynn Martin, chairman of the NYSE, celebrated the partnership, saying it will help "bring prediction markets into the financial mainstream." Coplan described the deal as a "monumental step forward for DeFi."
It all happens here-- at 11 Wall St.
- Lynn Martin (@lynnmartin) October 7, 2025
This morning, just before our opening bell, @NYSE parent @ICE_Markets announced a strategic investment in @Polymarket to help bring prediction markets into the financial mainstream.
Congrats to @shayne_coplan and the disruptors at... pic.twitter.com/yah0zXWRKS
In addition to the investment, it was pointed out that ICE founder Jeff Sprecher plans to use the NYSE's infrastructure to promote asset tokenization. In addition, ICE will distribute Polymarket's data to thousands of financial institutions globally.
"Through the gold standard of financial infrastructure, we are redefining the way modern markets operate," added Martin, of the NYSE.
The deal follows two previously unannounced funding rounds. Coplan revealed that Founders Fund led a $150m Series B in early 2025, with a $1.2bn valuation, with participation from Ribbit, Valor, Point72 Ventures and Coinbase.
Blockchain Capital had previously led a $55 million Series A in 2024, with a valuation of $350 million.
Light Green Regulatory and Explosive Growth
ICE's backing comes at a time of strong momentum for the sector. In September, total monthly volume in the prediction markets more than doubled to $4.28 billion, up 126.3% from $1.89 billion in August.
Kalshi took the market lead with $2.74 billion in volume in September (about 64% share), while Polymarket posted a 41.4% growth to $1.42 billion.
Polymarket's return to the US market was sanctioned on 3 September, when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a no-action letter to QCX LLC (acquired by Polymarket this year), allowing event contracts to trade under federal derivatives rules.
This approval marks a revival for the platform, which had ceased operations in the US in 2022 after settling $1.4 million in unregistered derivatives charges.
Dragonfly's Haseeb Qureshi called ICE's move a 'regime change' for prediction markets.
Polymarket + NYSE is a regime change. The $2 billion investment means there is a before and after for prediction markets. We are no longer in the kiddie pool. Watch this space," said Haseeb
The backing of the world's largest exchange operator and the enthusiasm of prominent cryptocurrency figures, such as Stani Kulechov of Aave, who has called "Polymarket the future of news", validate prediction markets as an institutional-grade infrastructure, ready for mainstream adoption.
