Mastercard is integrating regulated stablecoins into its settlement infrastructure, giving partners the option to use digital assets alongside traditional fiat currency settlement.
The payments giant has announced an expansion of its card settlement capabilities. The initiative introduces intraday settlement, as well as settlement on weekends and public holidays. Mastercard will also enable settlement in regulated stablecoins through blockchain infrastructure.
As part of the rollout, Mastercard will maintain its existing fiat settlement framework while adding support for digital assets. The company plans to support settlement in the following regulated stablecoins:
- Circle’s USDC
- Paxos-issued PYUSD, USDG, and USDP
- Ripple’s RLUSD
- SoFi’s SoFiUSD
These transactions will be processed across multiple blockchain networks, including Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Canton, XRPL, and Tempo.
According to the company’s announcement, access to digital asset settlement will be delivered through Mastercard’s existing global network, allowing participants to adopt the new capabilities without changing their current operating processes. Existing security standards, fraud prevention measures, and dispute resolution mechanisms will remain in place.
The new capabilities will give issuers and acquirers greater control over how and when transactions are settled across Mastercard’s global payments network. The initiative is designed to improve liquidity management and support payment flows where transaction speed and transparency are critical.
Mastercard said the new tools are particularly relevant for cross-border payments, treasury operations, and large-scale disbursements, where rapid fund transfers and efficient liquidity management are essential. According to Raj Dhamodharan, Executive Vice President of Blockchain & Digital Assets at Mastercard, the next stage of stablecoin adoption will be driven less by speculation and more by practical applications within settlement infrastructure.
Stablecoin settlement is already being tested in select markets using USDC. Early participants expected to support the new settlement options in the United States and Latin America include ARQ, formerly known as DolarApp, CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank, and payments company Nuvei. The program is expected to expand throughout 2026.
The initiative forms part of Mastercard’s broader strategy to integrate digital assets into payments infrastructure. Going forward, the company plans to add new regions, financial partners, and additional regulated stablecoins, subject to local regulatory requirements.
