Stablecoins could make payments faster and cheaper, but only if the supporting infrastructure improves, Mastercard executive Matthew Driver told CNBC. He is executive vice president of services for Asia Pacific. Driver warned against a "stablecoin sandwich": a slow on-ramp into stablecoins, a fast transaction, then a slow off-ramp back into fiat currency. Linking real-time payment systems to stablecoin exchanges at both ends could help. Stablecoins may suit certain remittance corridors and less commonly traded currency pairs. In Singapore, where retail payments are already efficient, corporate payments may offer more opportunity. Mastercard completed its acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK in August. The two have since launched Global Money Platform, which lets banks, fintechs, and businesses manage traditional and stablecoin payments through one API.

Tech Mahindra, Mastercard partner to help enterprise modernize B2B payments. October 26, 2026 15:00 IST Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of AI-powered digital transformation and technology consulting solutions to enterprises across industries, announced a partnership with Mastercard to help global enterprises modernize B2B payments by embedding secure virtual card and payment capabilities directly into their enterprise resource planning (ERP) and procurement platforms. This engagement will help organizations optimize working capital, strengthen spend controls, accelerate payment execution and reconciliation, and simplify supplier enablement while retaining their existing technology investments. Combining Tech Mahindra's enterprise transformation expertise with Mastercard's embedded payments capabilities and global virtual card ecosystem will help corporations modernize and optimize how they manage commercial payments - embedding secure, intelligent payment capabilities directly into procurement, ERP, and financial workflows. Together, the partnership can accelerate the shift from traditional, fragmented payment processes to seamless embedded finance, while helping enterprises improve working capital, strengthen supplier relationships, increase automation, and enhance security, fraud prevention, and compliance. Mastercard's embedded payment capabilities will also be integrated with enterprise environments spanning leading ERPs, and other procure-to-pay and source-to-pay platforms. By making payments an integral part of established procurement workflows, enterprises will be able to automate transactions, gain greater financial visibility, and reduce operational friction across finance, treasury, accounts payable, procurement, and supplier management functions. Modernizing enterprise payments through embedded finance. Organizations continue to navigate growing procurement complexity, supply-chain volatility, working capital pressures, fragmented supplier management, and manual approval processes. Traditional B2B payment systems can further create inefficiencies in onboarding and reconciliation while limiting real-time visibility. Tech Mahindra and Mastercard will address these challenges through API-led integration, payment automation, real-time reconciliation, fraud management, and enhanced payment controls within the software environments businesses already use. "Enterprises should not have to choose between modern payment capabilities and the technology investments they already rely on," said, Roshan Shetty, BFSI & Public Sector Head, Americas, Tech Mahindra. "Together with Mastercard, we are bringing payments directly into the flow of procurement and finance. This partnership will also enable enterprises to leverage Agentic-AI workflows to optimize and modernize at their own pace while creating a faster and more connected experience for their suppliers." "Embedding payments directly into the platforms enterprises use every day can transform commercial payments from a manual process into an integrated, intelligent part of the procurement and finance workflow," said, Rebecca Meeker, SVP of B2B Platforms and Embedded Finance at Mastercard. "Our partnership with Tech Mahindra brings together payments and enterprise transformation expertise to help organizations automate payment processes, improve visibility and control, and optimize working capital, while creating more efficient, connected experiences for their suppliers." Unlike standalone payment offerings, the partnership is designed to integrate financial capabilities directly into existing business processes. This approach will allow enterprises to connect procurement modernization with broader ERP and digital transformation initiatives, creating a more automated and resilient B2B payments ecosystem.

Mastercard reportedly praises RLUSD stablecoin at XRPL event. An attendee reported the comment at a New York hackathon, while Mastercard's formal settlement plans remain a separate development. Tldr: Table of Contents * RLUSD stablecoin received reported praise during an XRPL Commons hackathon pitch session, but the account came from community member Lost Art rather than an official Mastercard release. * Mastercard is listed as an event partner, and the 36-hour New York hackathon on October 24-25 features more than $40,000 in prizes across four developer tracks. * Ripple and Mastercard announced plans in 2025 to explore RLUSD settlement for Gemini card transactions, subject to approvals; Mastercard later included RLUSD in broader settlement plans. * The reported compliment does not establish a product launch or XRP demand catalyst; published announcements provide no new settlement volumes or market-impact data tied to the event. Mastercard has reportedly praised Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin during the XRP Ledger Hackathon in New York, according to an attendee's post. The comment came during a presentation about partner pitch requirements, not in a company statement. The event runs October 24-25 and lists Mastercard among its ecosystem partners. Mastercard has announced plans to include RLUSD among regulated settlement options and XRPL among supported blockchain networks. That report adds visibility to Ripple's token; it does not confirm a new product, rollout, or change to XRP demand. Developers are exploring financial applications on XRPL, but the post alone says little about commercial adoption. RLUSD stablecoin praise reported at New York hackathon. Lost Art, an XRPL community member on X, said Mastercard representatives complimented the RLUSD stablecoin while explaining partner pitch requirements. The account shared its report on October 24. It provided no recording, named speaker, or direct company statement. The remark theref ore remains an attendee's account, not a formal Mastercard endorsement. XRPL Commons describes the New York gathering as a 36-hour build sprint. Developers are building payment applications, lending products, and protocol upgrades. It runs October 24-25, just before Ripple Swell, and the organizers list Mastercard as a partner. Other listed partners include Ripple, the XRP Ledger Foundation, Ledger, AWS, and QuickNode. More than $40,000 in prizes supports four tracks: agentic finance, lending and borrowing, protocol innovation, and an open category. The agenda creates space to test stablecoin uses, without promising a payment launch. Mastercard's work with Ripple predates the event. In November 2025, Ripple announced that Mastercard, WebBank, and Gemini would explore RLUSD stablecoin settlement for fiat card transactions. WebBank issues the Gemini Credit Card. The partners planned RLUSD settlement on XRPL between the bank and Mastercard. Ripple said onboarding and integration planning remained subject to regulatory approvals. Mastercard settlement plans leave XRP demand unclear. In June 2026, Mastercard announced plans to add regulated stablecoin settlement options across its network. The company named the RLUSD stablecoin among supported choices, alongside USDC, SoFiUSD, and Paxos-issued tokens. It also named XRPL as one of the supported networks. Mastercard described the expansion as new options for issuers and acquirers, with a wider rollout subject to regulation. Mastercard said on-chain settlement would retain existing security, fraud, and dispute safeguards. Those controls would operate beside traditional processes, giving participating issuers and acquirers more timing choices. Naming RLUSD among planned options does not mean every bank, card program, or market can use it today. The company did not say whether RLUSD settlement is live today across partners. Those announcements provide commercial context for the event, but do not confirm the hackathon remark. Lost Art's post did not describe a contract, launch date, or settlement volume. Mastercard's partner listing also does not show that event projects will enter its network. The agentic finance track focuses on software that can make payments and transact on-chain. XRPL Commons says applications may settle in XRP or the RLUSD stablecoin. Teams can demonstrate ideas at a hackathon, but deployment still requires a product decision and operational controls.