Kalshi adds crypto payments rail through Mesh partnership

Kalshi has partnered with crypto payments supplier Mesh to support cryptocurrency deposits and payouts across its prediction market platform. 

The integration will allow Kalshi users to fund accounts from more than 300 wallets and exchanges, including Coinbase, Binance, MetaMask and Phantom.

Mesh said the system uses smart asset routing to select the correct blockchain network for deposits, while payout transactions will use real-time address validation. 

The aim is to reduce failed transfers and user errors, including cases where funds are sent over the wrong network.

The payment update follows Kalshi’s expansion into more than 140 countries, giving the operator a larger international user base at a time when prediction markets are attracting higher trading volumes and wider regulatory attention.

Kalshi operates as a federally regulated prediction market in the US, with contracts structured as event-based financial products. 

That model has placed it in conflict with state gaming regulators, particularly where sports-related contracts are involved.

The partnership also extends Mesh’s push into financial platforms that require crypto connectivity. Mesh raised $75m in Series C funding earlier this year, reaching a $1bn valuation and has positioned its network around wallet, exchange and asset interoperability. 

For Kalshi, the integration gives crypto-native users a more direct route into its markets without relying only on traditional payment rails. 

Kalshi Head of Crypto, John Wang, said: “The barrier has never been interest, it's been infrastructure.” 

Prediction market activity has grown sharply since 2025, led by Kalshi and Polymarket, but the sector remains under scrutiny from gaming regulators, sports bodies and lawmakers. 

US state authorities have questioned whether sports event contracts should be treated as gambling products, while Kalshi has argued that its markets fall under federal commodities regulation.

Last month, Nevada District Judge Jason Woodbury expanded a preliminary injunction against Kalshi to prohibit sports, entertainment and election-related contracts for Nevada residents, following action by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.