Mastercard Integrates USDC and RLUSD for Global Settlement Network Expansion

Mastercard expands settlement options with USDC, RLUSD, and other stablecoins across Solana and Ethereum. Initial rollout targets US and Latin American partners, enhancing liquidity and cross-border payment efficiency through 2026.

Woofun AI reports that Mastercard is deploying regulated stablecoins into its settlement infrastructure to enhance liquidity management and support time-sensitive payment flows. The updated framework incorporates Circle's USDC, Paxos-issued assets including PYUSD, USDG, and USDP, alongside Ripple's RLUSD and SoFi's SoFiUSD. These digital assets will function across multiple blockchain networks, notably Solana, Arbitrum, Base, Canton, Ethereum, Polygon, Tempo, and XRPL, operating concurrently with existing fiat settlement methods rather than supplanting them.

Raj Dhamodharan, executive vice president of Blockchain and Digital Assets at Mastercard, emphasized that the initiative prioritizes settlement utility and operational transparency. The pilot phase will engage select financial institutions and payment providers in the United States and Latin America, including ARQ (formerly DolarApp), CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank, and Nuvei. Subject to regulatory compliance, Mastercard plans to extend this capability through 2026 to facilitate cross-border payments, treasury operations, and payout services while maintaining established security standards and dispute resolution protocols.