Cryptocurrency and fintech sponsorships in Formula One (F1) have reached record levels in 2025, totaling US$273.6 million across 21 partners, according to new research by BitOK, an anti-money laundering (AML) solution provider for the crypto industry.

The total represents a 9% year-over-year (YoY) increase in value and a 40% YoY increase in deal count, up from 15 partnerships worth US$251 million in 2024.

These figures reflect substantial growth from previous years. Between 2019 and 2021, F1 recorded a total of 12 partnership deals involving eight different fintech or crypto partners, and totaling US$59.5 million.

Since 2019, 30 crypto and fintech brands have become F1 partners. The trend was kickstarted by Crypto.com’s five-year US$100 million sponsorship deal with F1 in 2021, marking the first cryptocurrency sponsorship in the sport. The crypto exchange remains one of F1’s longest-standing sponsors, with an agreement extending through 2030.

Deal sizes have also increased drastically. While the largest sponsorships in 2021 were valued at around US$20 million, recent agreements have reached up to US$50 million annually.

These findings highlight the growing economic influence of the fintech and crypto sector in global motorsport. BitOK estimates that from 2021 to 2025, total sponsorship spending by fintech and crypto brands in F1 has exceeded US$1 billion.

Crypto firms dominate fintech sponsorships

This year, Stake, a crypto-based online casino and sports betting company, is the biggest F1 spender, with an estimated US$40 million title sponsorship deal with Swiss motorsport engineering company and race team Sauber Motorsport. The partnership, signed in 2023, covers the 2024 and 2025 seasons, during which Sauber competes as the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber.

Sauber Motorsport also signed a partnership with live streaming platform Kick in 2024, which shares Stake co-founder and owner Eddie Craven as investors. Kick’s name and logo replace Stake’s in countries where gambling and sports betting advertisements are not allowed.

Becoming a title sponsor in F1 is among the most prestigious and expensive commitments in global sports marketing. According to motorsport sponsorship agency RTR Sports, title sponsorships typically start at U$20-30 million per year for lower-ranked teams, and can easily exceed US$60-70 million annually for front-running teams such as Ferrari, or Mercedes. In exceptional cases involving global giant firms like HP or Mastercard are involved, the value of the contract can surpass the US$100 million mark, making it one of the most costly brand alignments in professional sport.

Global crypto exchange OKX is another prominent F1 sponsor. This year, the firm maintains one of the race’s most visible partnerships through its estimated US$32 million agreement with McLaren Racing, first signed in 2022. The partnership was expanded again in 2024, with OKX branding featured prominently on the McLaren car’s side pods and livery throughout the season.

OKX is a crypto exchange and Web3 platform that allows users to trade, invest, and manage digital assets. The company claims more than 60 million customers around the globe, offering features such as spot and futures trading, staking, and decentralized finance (DeFi) tools, as well as a non-custodian wallet for accessing decentralized finance (DeFi) apps and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Similarly, Gate.io signed an estimated US$32 million multi-year strategic partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Racing team this year. The deal includes exclusive crypto-exchange partnership rights and extensive branding on key team assets.

Gate.io is a crypto exchange, serving over 37 million users worldwide. Beyond trading, Gate.io provides a full suite of financial and blockchain services, including DeFi, Web3 solutions, research and analytics, venture capital (VC) investing, and startup incubation.

Another major fintech sponsor is MoneyGram, which signed a title sponsorship deal worth an estimated US$30 million with Haas Formula, an American-licensed F1 racing team, for the 2023 season onwards. The team competes as the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team.

MoneyGram, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a global leader in cross-border payments and money transfers, serving 50 million customers in over 200 countries each year.

Tech and finance lead F1 2025 sponsorships

According to BitOK, technology and financial service brands are the largest investors in F1’s 2025 season, each accounting for around 20% of all new sponsorship deals. These industries view F1 as an ideal platform that combines cutting-edge technology, data-driven innovation, and a high-spending global audience.

Other notable 2025 fintech and crypto sponsorship deals include:

• Coinbase’s estimated US$20 million deal with Aston Martin Aramco, paid entirely in the USDC stablecoin and marking F1’s first fully cryptocurrency-funded sponsorship;
• Binance and ApeCoin’s partnerships with Alpine, focusing on crypto education, blockchain solutions, and fan engagement through non-fungible tokens (NFTs); and
• Visa and Cash App’s joint title sponsorship of Red Bulls’ Racing Bulls racing team, now rebranded to the Visa Cash App RB team.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik