Stablecoin News: Mastercard Expands Settlement With USDC, PYUSD, and RLUSD

Mastercard expanded its settlement capabilities to support regulated stablecoins across its global payments network. The move gives issuers and acquirers more flexibility in how and when they settle card transactions while maintaining existing fiat settlement options.

The rollout supports intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement using stablecoins. Supported assets include USDC, PYUSD, USDG, USDP, RLUSD, and SoFiUSD across multiple blockchain networks.

Stablecoin News: Mastercard Adds More Settlement Options

Mastercard said its expanded settlement capabilities will help partners manage liquidity beyond normal banking hours. The plan covers card-based settlement using fiat currencies and regulated stablecoins, giving financial institutions more flexibility in moving funds across markets.

Issuers and acquirers often manage settlement around banking schedules, local rules, and liquidity needs. The stablecoin news said the new model will support more time-sensitive flows, including cross-border payments, treasury operations, and payouts where faster access to funds may matter.

The company will keep the new options alongside existing settlement processes. That structure allows partners to adopt stablecoin-based settlement without replacing current systems. Mastercard said its approach preserves network protections, including security standards, fraud safeguards, and dispute processes.

Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard’s executive vice president for Blockchain and Digital Assets, said,

“The next phase of stablecoin adoption is about real-world utility, especially in settlement, where timing and liquidity matter most.”

USDC, PYUSD, and RLUSD Join Mastercard Network

Mastercard will support several regulated stablecoins in the new settlement framework. These include Circle’s USDC, Paxos-issued PYUSD, USDG, and USDP, Ripple’s RLUSD, and SoFi’s SoFiUSD. USDC is already supporting early on-chain settlement flows in select markets.

The stablecoin news also named several blockchain networks that will support the rollout. These include Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, Canton, Tempo, and the XRP Ledger. Mastercard said the framework will allow partners to use digital asset-based settlement through the same global infrastructure they use today.

Ripple’s Jack McDonald said RLUSD’s inclusion reflects demand for regulated stablecoins built for financial use cases on public blockchains. He added that on-chain settlement shows how blockchain networks can support faster and more flexible payment flows.

Meanwhile, Paxos-regulated infrastructure gives Mastercard partners a path to use PYUSD, USDG, and USDP alongside existing systems. Circle also said demand continues to grow for settlement infrastructure that operates beyond traditional banking hours.

First Partners Expected in US and Latin America

ARQ, formerly known as DolarApp, CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank, and Nuvei are expected to be among the first partners supporting stablecoin settlement optionality. Mastercard said the early rollout will focus on the United States and Latin America before wider expansion through 2026.

ARQ co-founder and chief operating officer Álvaro Correa said stablecoins have supported the company’s infrastructure from the start. He said the Mastercard partnership helps ARQ build cross-border financial services for the Americas with lower costs and faster movement.

Cross River said partners increasingly want a settlement that offers more transparency and speed. Lead Bank also said on-chain settlement supports a 24/7 financial infrastructure for institutions and customers. Nuvei said the collaboration adds more settlement choices for customers handling global disbursements and liquidity planning.

These partnerships place Mastercard’s stablecoin news within a broader institutional payments push. The stablecoin news wants regulated digital assets to operate alongside traditional payment rails, rather than outside established financial infrastructure.

Mastercard Builds Toward Always-On Payments

Mastercard has expanded its stablecoin work through several moves this year. The company secured a New York BitLicense in May, giving it a compliance framework for tokenized deposits and payment stablecoins in that state.

Earlier, Mastercard reached an agreement to acquire enterprise stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK for up to $1.8 billion. It also granted Principal Membership to Rain, a stablecoin card issuer, as payment firms continue to test digital asset settlement models.

The stablecoin news market has also grown as banks, fintech firms, and payment networks explore tokenized settlement. Dollar-pegged stablecoins now account for a large share of digital asset payment activity, with USDT and USDC leading market supply.

Mastercard said its settlement expansion will continue globally, subject to regulation. The company also expects to add more regions, partners, and regulated stablecoins over time as adoption develops across card payments, payouts, treasury flows, and programmable payment systems.