Ripple's XRP Ledger (XRPL) and its regulated stablecoin, RLUSD, are on course to benefit from Mastercard's newly announced expansion of its global settlement capabilities.
Mastercard has revealed plans to introduce intraday, holiday, and weekend on-chain settlement through regulated stablecoins across multiple blockchain networks, including the XRPL.
Flexibility across the network
Mastercard's network-level enhancements aim to offer issuers and acquirers greater flexibility in managing settlement timing and liquidity alongside existing processes.
The expanded capabilities support both traditional fiat currencies and regulated digital assets.
As mentioned above, the global payments network will now support intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement options, which are critical for time-sensitive payment flows such as cross-border transfers, treasury operations, and payouts.
Mastercard will support settlements using a variety of regulated stablecoins. These include Ripple's RLUSD.
These digital assets will be integrated across several blockchain networks, including Arbitrum, Base, and the XRP Ledger.
Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard’s executive vice president of Blockchain & Digital Assets, noted that the "next phase of stablecoin adoption is about real-world utility.
Initial ecosystem rollout
The optionality for stablecoin settlement is expected to be initially supported by ARQ (formerly DolarApp), CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank, and Nuvei in the United States and Latin America, with further global expansion planned throughout 2026. Circle's Kash Razzaghi, chief commercial officer, noted that organizations are increasingly seeking infrastructure that operates beyond traditional banking hours.
The foundational collaboration between Ripple and Mastercard began taking shape notably in late 2025, when Ripple, Mastercard, WebBank, and Gemini partnered to test blockchain-based settlements for fiat payments.
Dan Burgin
