Mastercard Expands Payment Network to Include Multiple Cryptos
WHO:
NewsBTC - Mastercard, Raj Dhamodharan (executive vice president of Blockchain & Digital Assets at Mastercard)
WHAT:
NewsBTC - Mastercard's stablecoin settlement offering will expand beyond the initial rollout areas, with additional regions, partners, and regulated stablecoins planned through 2026.
Bitcoinist - Mastercard announced on June 3 that it will expand its global settlement infrastructure to support on-chain settlement using crypto via regulated stablecoins.
NewsBTC - Mastercard plans to introduce intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement cycles as part of its expanded capabilities.
Bitcoinist - Mastercard announced it will enable card transactions to settle 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays for the first time in the network's history.
NewsBTC - Mastercard plans to open its global card-settlement network to regulated stablecoins.
Bitcoinist - Mastercard will enable card transactions to settle 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays.
NewsBTC - The service will operate across eight different blockchains.
NewsBTC - The stablecoins included are Tether's rival Circle (USDC), Paxos (PYUSD, USDG, USDP), Ripple’s RLUSD, and SoFi’s SoFiUSD.
WHERE:
NewsBTC - The initial deployment of Mastercard's service will be limited to parts of the United States and Latin America.
NewsBTC - The initial deployment will be limited to parts of the United States and Latin America.
NewsBTC - The service will operate across eight blockchains, including Arbitrum, Base, Canton, Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, Tempo, and the XRP Ledger.
WHEN:
NewsBTC - Additional regions, partners, and regulated stablecoins will be added through 2026.
WHY:
NewsBTC - Raj Dhamodharan stated that the next stage of stablecoin adoption focuses on practical use in areas where timing and liquidity matter, specifically highlighting settlement as a key factor.
NewsBTC - The move is designed to let card issuers and acquirers clear card transactions directly on-chain, enhancing the "real-world utility" for digital assets.
NewsBTC - Raj Dhamodharan stated that the next stage of stablecoin adoption focuses on practical use in areas where timing and liquidity matter.
HOW:
NewsBTC - Mastercard's expanded capabilities will allow issuers and acquirers to settle card transactions through regulated digital assets alongside traditional fiat rails.
NewsBTC - Mastercard's expanded capabilities will allow customers to use both traditional payment settlement and digital-asset-based settlement through the same infrastructure.
(UPDATED June 4, 2026 17:52 UTC)
Mastercard is set to expand its stablecoin settlement offering beyond the initial rollout areas, with plans for additional regions, partners, and regulated stablecoins through 2026. The initial deployment of this service will be limited to parts of the United States and Latin America. This expansion aims to enhance the accessibility and use of stablecoin transactions in various markets.
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(UPDATED June 4, 2026 08:20 UTC)
Mastercard has announced plans to expand its global settlement infrastructure to support on-chain settlement using regulated stablecoins. As part of this initiative, the company will introduce intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement cycles to enhance its capabilities. Raj Dhamodharan emphasized that this next stage of stablecoin adoption will focus on practical applications, particularly in areas where timing and liquidity are crucial, with settlement being a key factor.
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(UPDATED June 4, 2026 04:21 UTC)
Mastercard has made a groundbreaking announcement, revealing that it will enable card transactions to settle around the clock, every day of the week, for the very first time in its history. This expanded capability will allow both issuers and acquirers to settle card transactions using regulated digital assets alongside traditional fiat currencies. This move marks a significant shift in how financial transactions can be processed in the future.
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(UPDATED June 3, 2026 20:09 UTC)
Mastercard is set to open its global card-settlement network to regulated stablecoins, allowing card transactions to settle around the clock, including weekends and holidays. The initial rollout will take place in select parts of the United States and Latin America, operating across eight different blockchains, with plans to expand to additional regions and partners throughout 2026. This initiative aims to enhance the real-world utility of digital assets by enabling card issuers and acquirers to clear transactions directly on-chain, as highlighted by Raj Dhamodharan, who emphasized the importance of practical use in areas where timing and liquidity are crucial.