Mastercard has included Canton among the blockchain networks it expects to support as part of a broader expansion of settlement options for issuers and acquirers.
In a June 3 press release, Mastercard said it plans to add intraday, weekend and holiday card settlement capabilities, alongside on-chain card settlement using regulated stablecoins. The company said the enhancements are designed to give issuers and acquirers more flexibility in how and when they settle card-based transactions across Mastercard’s global payments network.
Canton was named alongside Arbitrum, Base, Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, Tempo and XRPL as one of the supported blockchain networks for the stablecoin settlement rollout.
The stablecoins named in the announcement include Circle’s USDC, Paxos-issued PYUSD, USDG and USDP, Ripple’s RLUSD and SoFi’s SoFiUSD. Mastercard said USDC is already supporting early on-chain settlement flows in select markets.
For Canton, the announcement is notable because it places the network within Mastercard’s stated settlement roadmap for regulated digital assets. The release does not say that Canton settlement is already live; rather, it identifies Canton as one of the networks across which supported stablecoins are expected to be enabled.
The first organizations expected to support stablecoin settlement optionality include ARQ, formerly known as DolarApp, CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank and Nuvei. Mastercard said the initial rollout will focus on the United States and Latin America, with further expansion planned through 2026.
Mastercard positioned stablecoin-based settlement as one option among a wider set of settlement enhancements, not as a replacement for existing processes. The company said the new capabilities are especially relevant for cross-border payments, treasury and payouts, where timing, transparency and liquidity management are central operational concerns.
The company also emphasized that the expansion is intended to preserve the protections of its existing network. Mastercard said partners will be able to access traditional and digital asset-based settlement through the same global infrastructure they use today, while maintaining security standards, fraud safeguards and dispute processes.
Mastercard said the initiative builds on earlier pilots and initial live deployments, and forms part of its broader strategy to support stablecoins and digital assets across acceptance, settlement and programmable payment flows.
Raj Dhamodharan, executive vice president for Blockchain and Digital Assets at Mastercard, said the next phase of stablecoin adoption is focused on real-world utility, particularly in settlement, where timing and liquidity are most important.
The release also included supporting comments from ARQ, Circle, Cross River, Lead Bank, Nuvei, Paxos and Ripple, reflecting the range of banks, payment companies and stablecoin issuers involved in the early ecosystem.
Mastercard said the expanded settlement capabilities will continue to roll out globally, subject to regulation, with additional regions, partners and regulated stablecoins expected to be added over time.
For Canton, the importance lies in the specificity of the inclusion. Mastercard did not refer generally to blockchain settlement. It named Canton directly as one of the networks in scope for regulated stablecoin settlement across its card-network infrastructure.
