Mastercard expands settlement capabilities

Mastercard announced plans to expand its settlement capabilities, giving issuers and acquirers more choices in how and when to settle transactions, which will help improve liquidity management.

The enhanced capabilities include additional intraday as well as weekend and holiday card settlement, supporting both fiat currency and on-chain card settlement using regulated stablecoins. The new capabilities are particularly relevant for use cases where timing and transparency are key, including cross-border payments, treasury and payouts, Mastercard said in a statement.

Mastercard said it will support settlement using regulated stablecoins, including Circle's USDC, as well as Paxos-issued stablecoins including PYUSD, USDG and USDP; Ripple's RLUSD; and SoFi's SoFIUSD.

These stablecoins will be enabled across a range of blockchain networks including Arbitrum, Base, Canton, Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, Tempo and XRPL.

ARQ (formerly known as DolarApp), CBW Bank, Cross River Bank, Lead Bank and Nuvei are expected to be among the first to support stablecoin settlement options in the United States and Latin America, Mastercard said.

"As demand grows for faster and more flexible movement of money, organizations are increasingly seeking infrastructure that can operate beyond traditional banking hours," said Kash Razzaghi, Circle chief commercial officer.

"Mastercard's move into on-chain settlement is a landmark validation that blockchain technology is ready for the world's most critical payment infrastructure," said Jack McDonald, Ripple's senior vice president for stablecoins.

Built for choice and delivered at scale

Designed to be scalable, the enhancements will be accessible through the Mastercard's current global infrastructure, thereby preserving existing protections, including security standards, fraud safeguards and dispute processes.

"The next phase of stablecoin adoption is about real-world utility, especially in settlement, where timing and liquidity matter most," said Raj Dhamodharan, executive vice president for blockchain and digital assets at Mastercard. "By introducing intraday and weekend on settlement options across our global network, we're expanding how partners manage liquidity and operate in an always-on digital economy while maintaining trust, resilience and safeguards they expect from Mastercard."

"We've seen firsthand the accelerating demand from our partners for faster, more transparent settlement – and stablecoins have emerged as a powerful tool to meet that need," said Luca Cosentino, head of on-chain finance at Cross River. "Mastercard's decision to bring on-chain settlement to its global network validates what we've been building toward: a future where digital asset rails operate seamlessly alongside traditional payments infrastructure."

"At Lead, we believe the future of financial infrastructure is 24/7, and on-chain settlement is where that future becomes real," added Jackie Reses, CEO and co-founder of Lead Bank. "We're proud to be among the first platforms to deliver this capability in the United States and see this as a foundational step toward a more efficient, always-on financial system."

Mastercard's expanded settlement capabilities reflect growing momentum among major payments and financial technology companies seeking to integrate blockchain-based settlement into mainstream commercial payments infrastructure.

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