Ole_CNX/iStock via Getty Images Mastercard ( MA ) plans to expand its settlement capabilities, with additional intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement, supporting fiat currencies and on-chain card settlement using regulated stablecoins, the company said Wednesday. The greater flexibility for issuers and acquirers is intended to help improve liquidity management and expand choices for how they mo...
Ole_CNX/iStock via Getty Images Mastercard ( MA ) plans to expand its settlement capabilities, with additional intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement, supporting fiat currencies and on-chain card settlement using regulated stablecoins, the company said Wednesday. The greater flexibility for issuers and acquirers is intended to help improve liquidity management and expand choices for how they move money. The expanded settlement options may be especially relevant for use cases such as cross-border payments, treasury, and payouts, the company said. The new options underscore how the companies operating traditional payment rails see the need to also provide access to alternate channels, such as blockchain-based technologies, to facilitate the flow of money. As part of the expansion, Mastercard ( MA ) will support settlement using regulated stablecoins, including Circle's ( CRCL ) USDC ( USDC-USD ), which is already supporting early on-chain settlement flows in select markets, as well as Paxos-issued stablecoins, including PYUSD ( PYUSD-USD ), USDG ( USDG-USD ), and USDP ( USDP-USD ), Ripple's RLUSD ( RLUSD-USD ), and SoFi's SoFiUSD. These stablecoins will be enabled across a range of supported blockchain networks, including Arbitrum, Base, Canton, Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, Tempo, and XRPL. The expanded settlement capabilities will continue to roll out globally, subject to regulation, with additional regions, partners, and regulated stablecoins expected to be added over time, Mastercard ( MA ) said. ARQ (formerly DolarApp), CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank, and Nuvei are expected to be among the first to support stablecoin settlement optionality in the United States and Latin America, with further expansion planned through 2026. "By introducing intraday and weekend on settlement options across our global network, we’re expanding how partners manage liquidity and operate in an always-on digital economy while maintaining the trust, resilience, and safeguards they expec...