Global payment giant Mastercard announced it has added Ripple's stablecoin, RLUSD, to the long list of stablecoins supported on its global settlement network.
This move has sparked excitement among crypto users, especially the XRP community, as it bridges the gap between blockchain technology and credit card payments, positioning the Ripple ecosystem for wider adoption.
Mastercard integrates RLUSD
The move comes as Mastercard plans to introduce additional settlement capabilities, including intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement options.
It is important to note that Mastercard's decision to expand its settlement options is aimed at supporting both traditional fiat currencies and regulated stablecoins, which has now included RLUSD.
This move will give issuers and acquirers more flexibility in how they settle card transactions while improving liquidity management and payment efficiency across the global space.
Apart from RLUSD, other stablecoins currently supported by Mastercard's settlement platform include Circle's USDC and several Paxos-issued stablecoins such as PYUSD, USDG, and USDP, including SoFiUSD.
Following the development, the listed stablecoins will be available across multiple blockchain networks, including Ethereum, Solana, Arbitrum, Base, Polygon, Canton, Tempo, and the XRP Ledger (XRPL).
Mastercard merges traditional payments with blockchain-based payments
According to Mastercard, the addition of RLUSD to its settlement network marks a major milestone towards its ongoing effort to bridge the gap between digital assets and the global financial infrastructure.
Notably, it has added RLUSD as part of its network-level upgrades, ensuring that stablecoin settlement benefits from the same security standards, fraud protections, scalability, and interoperability that support its existing payments ecosystem.
By allowing regulated stablecoins such as RLUSD to operate alongside existing settlement options, Mastercard is on a mission to allow institutions and payment providers using its products to easily access both traditional and blockchain-based payment systems through a single global network.
Dan Burgin
