Prediction Market Infrastructure Boom Brings Real-Time Payments Within Reach
The prediction market space has seen tremendous growth in 2026, with platforms like Kalshi valued at over $40 billion and annualized trading volume exceeding $100 billion. However, beneath the surface of these exchanges lies a more nuanced story: the development of infrastructure to support real-time payments and settlement.
A major issue facing prediction markets is the lack of reliable payment rails, particularly for large sums of money. Until recently, traders were limited by bank wires, which don't clear on nights, weekends, or holidays. This has forced market makers to pre-fund capital in separate accounts, leaving it idle instead of working.
Two factors have contributed to this problem: the restriction of credit card deposits and the advancement of regulatory rules from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. In response, companies like Mesh, Fun, and ProphetX are building new payment layers, including one that lets users fund accounts directly from crypto wallets.
EDGE Markets has also raised $29.2 million to build banking and real-time-payment infrastructure for prediction markets within the regulated banking system. Its founder, Seni Thomas, aims to push funds into exchanges like Kalshi in real time, around the clock, with deposits held at an FDIC-insured partner bank.