Mastercard announced on July 23 that it has added Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin and the XRP Ledger to its global settlement network, allowing financial institutions to settle card transactions with regulated stablecoins outside traditional banking hours.
RLUSD and XRP Ledger Join the Network
The newly supported stablecoins include RLUSD, Circle’s USDC, Paxos-issued PYUSD, USDG, USDP, and SoFiUSD. The network now covers multiple blockchains: Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, Canton, Tempo, and the XRP Ledger. Mastercard said the new settlement capabilities support transactions on weekends and holidays, enabling participating institutions to process payments around the clock while maintaining existing operational frameworks.
U.S. and Latin America First
Early adopters include ARQ (formerly DolarApp), CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank, and Nuvei. Mastercard said the rollout will initially focus on the United States and Latin America, with plans to expand further throughout 2026.
Ripple and Mastercard’s Strategic Push
The inclusion of RLUSD comes as Ripple pushes for broader adoption of its dollar-backed stablecoin. Meanwhile, Mastercard has deepened its stablecoin infrastructure investments: it recently secured a BitLicense from the New York State Department of Financial Services, providing a regulatory framework for clearing tokenized deposits and payment stablecoins in New York. In March 2026, the company reached a definitive agreement to acquire stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK for up to $1.8 billion. Last month, it granted a Mastercard Principal Membership to stablecoin card issuer Rain, expanding its digital asset payments partner network.
Payment Giants Race in Stablecoin Settlement
Competition is intensifying. Visa has expanded stablecoin settlement pilots across several blockchain networks. MoneyGram recently launched its MGUSD stablecoin on the Stellar network. Data shows the supply of dollar-pegged stablecoins is approaching $300 billion, with Tether’s USDT at roughly $188 billion and Circle’s USDC at approximately $76 billion.