Mastercard expands card settlement to intraday weekends and holidays with stablecoins

The payments company said programmable, always-on settlements are now live on Stellar, extending card settlement availability beyond standard banking hours using regulated stablecoins.

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Summary

Mastercard said it has expanded card settlement capabilities to support intraday settlements on weekends and holidays using regulated stablecoins. The company also said programmable, always-on payments are now live on Stellar, a blockchain network. The move points to an effort to make settlement more continuous outside traditional banking windows, using stablecoins designed to maintain a fixed value and blockchain-based payment rails that can operate around the clock.

Terms & Concepts
  • stablecoins: Digital tokens designed to hold a steady value.
  • Stellar: A blockchain network focused on payments and asset transfers.
  • card settlement: The process of moving funds to complete card transactions.