Mastercard has announced a significant expansion in its digital asset services, allowing merchants to settle payments in stablecoins. The move comes as global regulatory frameworks for digital assets continue to evolve, paving the way for broader commercial adoption of cryptocurrencies pegged to fiat currencies.
Merchant Settlement in Stablecoins
As part of its updated offering, Mastercard will now enable merchants to accept payments in stablecoins such as Circle’s USDC. This service will be facilitated through partnerships with payment processor Nuvei and stablecoin issuers Circle and Paxos. Regardless of a consumer’s payment method, participating merchants will have the option to receive their funds in stablecoins, adding flexibility to settlement processes.
The integration reflects growing interest among businesses and financial institutions in leveraging digital assets for settlement and cross-border transactions.
Phil Fayer, CEO of Nuvei, claimed,
“By partnering with Mastercard and Circle, we’re embracing cutting-edge technologies to enhance how our merchants handle payments and settlements.”
Broader Integration with the Crypto Ecosystem
Mastercard’s announcement highlights its broader strategy of integrating stablecoins into everyday financial services. The company has previously partnered with major crypto platforms such as MetaMask, Kraken, Binance, and Crypto.com, allowing users to spend their digital assets via Mastercard-branded cards at over 150 million merchant locations globally.
The firm is also collaborating with OKX to introduce the OKX Card, designed to give millions of users seamless access to their digital funds. The partnership signals Mastercard’s intent to deepen engagement within the Web3 space, offering users more ways to transact and interact with digital assets.
Haider Rafique, chief marketing officer, OKX, said,
“Our strategic partnership with Mastercard to launch the OKX Card reflects our commitment to making digital finance more accessible, practical, and relevant to everyday life.”
Focus on Efficiency and Compliance
Mastercard is also targeting stablecoin issues like user experience and transaction verification through its Crypto Credential system, which allows users to send and receive digital assets via simple, verified usernames. Crypto exchanges such as Wirex, Bit2Me, and Mercado Bitcoin are already participating in this ecosystem.
Jorn Lambert, Chief Product Officer at Mastercard, said,
“When it comes to blockchain and digital assets, the benefits for mainstream use cases are clear. To realize its potential, we need to make it as easy for merchants to receive stablecoin payments and for consumers to use them.”
Additionally, Mastercard’s Multi-Token Network (MTN) is designed to support real-time payments and settlement using tokenized assets. Financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase and Standard Chartered, are connected to MTN, helping to advance interoperability between traditional banking services and emerging digital asset applications.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice
Source: https://cryptodaily.co.uk/2025/04/mastercard-rolls-out-stablecoin-settlement-for-merchants-worldwide