Mastercard explores sale of payments unit it bought from Nets in 2019, FT reports

March 26 (Reuters) - Mastercard MA.N is seeking to sell the real-time payments unit that it acquired from Denmark's Nets Group in 2019 for $3.2 billion, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The potential sale, for which the credit card giant has hired investment bankers, could draw interest from private equity groups, the report said.

Mastercard is likely to fetch a lower valuation than the price it paid for the unit, which brings about $370 million in annual revenue and around $100 million of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, FT added.

Reuters could not independently verify the report. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mastercard in 2019 bought a majority stake in the corporate services businesses of Scandinavian payments group Nets, a transaction that included its clearing and instant payment services, as well as its e-billing solutions.

The potential sale comes as Mastercard deepens its push into stablecoin infrastructure and blockchain-based transfers amid increasing regulatory clarity and surging usage.

Earlier this month, it agreed to acquire stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK for up to $1.8 billion.

The payment processor has been refocusing its investment priorities and earlier this year laid out plans to lay off about 4% of its workforce.

In January, Mastercard beat Wall Street expectations for fourth-quarter profit amid resilient spending as high earners continue to splurge on discretionary purchases despite concerns of economic uncertainty.