Mastercard expands on-chain settlement in bet on stablecoins and always-on finance
Summary
Mastercard is expanding its settlement network to include regulated stablecoins, offering issuers and acquirers options for intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement. The company will initially support Circle's USDC, Paxos-issued PYUSD, USDG, and USDP, Ripple's RLUSD, and SoFiUSD across networks like Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, and XRPL. This move aims to move the network closer to an always-on model where value can be transferred around the clock, reflecting a broader shift in financial markets. "The next phase of stablecoin adoption is about real-world utility, especially in settlement, where timing and liquidity matter most," said Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard's executive vice president of blockchain and digital assets. The rollout comes as competition intensifies among payment networks and financial institutions seeking to modernize settlement infrastructure, with several financial institutions expected to be among the first participants supporting stablecoin settlement in the U.S. and Latin America.
(Source:Coindesk Indonesia)