Mastercard announced Wednesday it will open its global card-settlement network to regulated stablecoins, allowing card issuers and acquirers to clear transactions directly on-chain.
The service will operate across eight blockchains, including Arbitrum, Base, Canton, Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, Tempo, and the XRP Ledger. Among the supported stablecoins are Circle's USDC, Paxos-issued PYUSD, USDG, and USDP, as well as Ripple's RLUSD and SoFi's SoFiUSD.
Alongside the on-chain settlement option, Mastercard plans to introduce intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement cycles, enabling partners to manage liquidity more effectively in a 24/7 digital economy.
Raj Dhamodharan, EVP of Blockchain & Digital Assets at Mastercard, described the move as a step toward practical stablecoin adoption, particularly in areas where timing and liquidity are critical.
The expanded capabilities will roll out globally, subject to regulation, with initial deployment limited to parts of the United States and Latin America. Mastercard expects to add more regions, partners, and stablecoins through 2026.
