Payment giant expands infrastructure to support on-chain transactions across weekends and holidays for first time
Mastercard announced on June 3 that it will expand its global settlement infrastructure to support on-chain settlement using six regulated stablecoins across eight blockchain networks, enabling card transactions to settle 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the first time in the network’s history.
The expansion removes settlement friction created by banking hours, weekend closures, and public holidays. Issuers and acquirers can choose to settle using regulated stablecoins on-chain or continue using traditional banking rails. Both options run in parallel, requiring no cardholder behavior change.
The initial rollout targets the United States and Latin America before a broader 2026 expansion. Mastercard is the world’s second-largest card network.
Six stablecoin issuers are participating in the initial phase: Circle (USDC), PayPal (PYUSD), Paxos (USDG and USDP), Ripple (RLUSD), and SoFi (SoFiUSD). Settlement partners include ARQ (formerly DolarApp), CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank, and Nuvei.
Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard Executive Vice President for Blockchain and Digital Assets, said the initiative is “expanding how partners manage liquidity while operating in an always-on digital economy.”
Jack McDonald, Ripple SVP, called the move a “landmark validation that blockchain technology is ready for the world’s most critical payment infrastructure.”
The settlement infrastructure change operates as a back-end system enhancement rather than a consumer-facing product shift. Mastercard’s existing cardholders and merchants will not experience changes to transaction flows unless their issuer or acquirer opts into on-chain settlement.
The expansion represents a structural shift in how major payment networks can manage settlement timing. Traditional card networks have been constrained by banking hours and clearinghouse schedules. On-chain settlement using regulated stablecoins removes these operational windows, allowing transactions to finalize at any time.
The eight blockchain networks supporting settlement were not detailed in the announcement. Mastercard did not specify regulatory approval requirements or technical implementation timelines beyond the 2026 expansion target.
