Independent research on the U.S. markets, Baptista Research

Baptista Research

Baptista Research is an independent financial research house focused on the U.S. markets. We provide equity research as well as credit research reports on the top-listed U.S. companies with most of our focus on technology, consumer goods and services, automobiles, industrials, oil and gas, pharma, and healthcare. Our research has served more than 3000 institutional investors including mutual funds, hedge funds, banks, family offices, and various buy-side firms. 

We operate a research subscription service where institutions, as well as retail investors, can have priority access to all our research. We also have a wide distribution of our research reports across some of the top global financial platforms. Apart from equity research and credit research, we also provide advisory services with respect to mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity/ venture capital fundraising, valuation reports, and investment management services for corporates.
Baptista Research is owned and managed by Ishan Majumdar, an ex-Venture Capitalist/ Investment Banker, a Chartered Accountant, and a Masters’ degree holder in Management from HEC Paris. Ishan has nearly a decade of experience in Mergers and Acquisitions, Leveraged Buyouts (LBOs), Venture Capital Investing, Corporate Strategy, and Valuation in front-office roles at the likes of BNP Paribas CIB, Credit Agricole CIB, Groupe Danone, and TIW Private Equity. He has worked on and closed multiple acquisition deals, leveraged buyouts, and start-up investment transactions.

Independent research on the U.S. markets

Baptista Research is an independent financial research house focused on the U.S. markets. We provide equity research as well as credit research reports on the top-listed U.S. companies with most of our focus on technology, consumer goods and services, automobiles, industrials, oil and gas, pharma, and healthcare. Our research has served more than 3000 institutional investors including mutual funds, hedge funds, banks, family offices, and various buy-side firms. We operate a research subscription service where institutions, as well as retail investors, can have priority access to all our research. We also have a wide distribution of our research reports across some of the top global financial platforms. Apart from equity research and credit research, we also provide advisory services with respect to mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity/ venture capital fundraising, valuation reports, and investment management services for corporates.
Baptista Research is owned and managed by Ishan Majumdar, an ex-Venture Capitalist/ Investment Banker, a Chartered Accountant, and a Masters’ degree holder in Management from HEC Paris. Ishan has nearly a decade of experience in Mergers and Acquisitions, Leveraged Buyouts (LBOs), Venture Capital Investing, Corporate Strategy, and Valuation in front-office roles at the likes of BNP Paribas CIB, Credit Agricole CIB, Groupe Danone, and TIW Private Equity. He has worked on and closed multiple acquisition deals, leveraged buyouts, and start-up investment transactions.

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>In a notable shift from its earlier acquisition ambitions, Mastercard is now weighing a strategic minority investment in blockchain infrastructure firm Zerohash after previous buyout talks broke down.</li><li>The payments giant had been in late-stage negotiations to acquire the Chicago-based startup for $1.5 billion to $2.0 billion as of October 2025, but the discussions ultimately collapsed when Zerohash opted to remain independent.</li><li>This strategic pivot to a potential minority stake signals more than a tactical change in deal structure—it reflects evolving dynamics in digital asset valuations, heightened corporate risk aversion, and a growing preference among incumbents to influence rather than control blockchain-native firms.</li></ul>

In a notable shift from its earlier acquisition ambitions, Mastercard is now weighing a strategic minority investment in blockchain infrastructure firm Zerohash after previous buyout talks broke down.The payments giant had been in late-stage negotiations to acquire the Chicago-based startup for $1.5 billion to $2.0 billion as of October 2025, but the discussions ultimately collapsed when Zerohash opted to remain independent.This strategic pivot to a potential minority stake signals more than a tactical change in deal structure—it reflects evolving dynamics in digital asset valuations, heightened corporate risk aversion, and a growing preference among incumbents to influence rather than control blockchain-native firms.

Mastercard Isn’t Buying Zerohash Anymore—Here’s the Real Reason!