Mastercard expands on-chain settlement in bet on stablecoins and always-on finance

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Mastercard expands on-chain settlement in bet on stablecoins and always-on finance The company plans to offer stablecoin, weekend and holiday settlement as demand grows for real-time movement of money. By Helene Braun | Edited by Stephen Alpher Jun 3, 2026, 4:00 a.m. 2 min read Make preferred on (Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Getty Images) What to know : Mastercard will begin settling transactions in several regulated U.S. dollar stablecoins, including USDC and PYUSD, alongside its existing fiat processes. The new framework will allow intraday, weekend, holiday and on-chain settlement across networks such as Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum and XRPL, moving Mastercard closer to an always-on model. Banks and payment firms like Cross River, Lead Bank, CBW Bank, ARQ and Nuvei will be early adopters, reflecting a broader shift toward using stablecoins as instant, cross-border settlement assets. Mastercard is expanding its settlement network to support regulated stablecoins, a move that could help bring blockchain-based payments deeper into the plumbing of the global financial system. The company said Wednesday it plans to offer issuers and acquirers additional settlement options, including intraday, weekend and holiday settlement as well as on-chain settlement using regulated stablecoins. The new capabilities will operate alongside existing fiat settlement processes and are designed to give financial institutions more flexibility in managing liquidity. Mastercard will initially support settlement using Circle's USDC, Paxos-issued PYUSD, USDG and USDP, Ripple's RLUSD and SoFiUSD. The stablecoins will be available across blockchain networks including Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Polygon (POL), Base, Arbitrum (ARB) and XRPL. While the announcement may appear technical, it reflects a broader shift underway in financial markets. Traditionally, card transactions are authorized instantly, but settlement between banks and payment providers often occurs later in batches and is limited by banking hours. Mastercard's new framework moves the network closer to an always-on model where value can be transferred and settled around the clock. "The next phase of stablecoin adoption is about real-world utility, especially in settlement, where timing and liquidity matter most," Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard's executive vice president of blockchain and digital assets, said in a statement. The significance extends beyond payments. Stablecoins have long been used primarily for crypto trading, but banks, payment firms and asset managers are increasingly viewing them as settlement assets that can move money instantly across borders and outside traditional banking schedules. The rollout comes as competition intensifies among payment networks and financial institutions seeking to modernize settlement infrastructure. Circle, Ripple, Paxos and other stablecoin issuers have increasingly positioned their products as alternatives to legacy correspondent banking rails for cross-border payments and treasury operations. Several financial institutions, including Cross River, Lead Bank, CBW Bank, ARQ and Nuvei, are expected to be among the first participants supporting stablecoin settlement in the U.S. and Latin America. Mastercard More For You Bitcoin's slide to $66,000 is accelerating a shift into digital dollars By Omkar Godbole 1 hour ago The crypto market is seeing a capital flight into dollar-linked stablecoins even as stocks and the Dollar Index remain calm. What to know : BTC's dominance rate has reversed the April spike amid the price sell-off to $66,000. At the same time, demand for dollar-pegged stablecoins has surged, with USDT and USDC's market shares rising to multi-month highs. This rotation into stablecoins echoes previous crypto sell-offs, but it contrasts with traditional markets, where U.S.... Read full story Latest Crypto News Bitcoin's slide to $66,000 is accelerating a shift into digital dollars 1 hour ago Bitcoin’s compute power dwarfs top 100 supercomputers by 600k times, says Bittensor co-founder 4 hours ago UK House of Lords committee calls on Bank of England to reconsider proposed stablecoin restrictions 5 hours ago U.S. sanctions Iranian crypto exchanges in ongoing war against the country 6 hours ago Coinbase backs Ethena ahead of savings product launch for exchange's 100 million users 7 hours ago Galaxy enters institutional prediction markets with $10 million Arca trade 8 hours ago Top Stories Tom Lee predicts ether will hit $250,000 as corporate validators take over network control 9 hours ago Bitcoin set for 'choppy summer' as capital chases high-flying AI stocks, K33 says 9 hours ago Hyperliquid predicted 80% of oil move before traditional exchanges opened, says expert report 11 hours ago Bitcoin derivatives markets flashing warning signs as price plunges below $70,000 15 hours ago Strategy's bitcoin sale may mark start of ether outperformance, StanChart's Kendrick says 14 hours ago Strategy sold bitcoin in late May, and told the market in June. Here's how Polymarket bettors are fighting over when it counts. 23 hours ago