Mastercard in Talks to Integrate Ripple's RLUSD for Direct Card Settlement

Gate News message, April 17 — Mastercard is exploring the integration of Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin directly into its global payment network for card settlement, according to discussions between Odelia Torteman of XRPL Commons and Christian Rau, Mastercard's SVP of Global Digital Commerce.

Rau disclosed that Mastercard is already collaborating with Gemini to settle card transactions in RLUSD, with plans to launch the system live in the first half of 2026. "We work with Gemini to settle their card flows in RLUSD. We look at bringing this to life still in the first half of this year and we are very excited about that," Rau stated.

Mastercard's network spans approximately 3.8 billion cards and over 150 million acceptance points globally, providing significant infrastructure for embedding RLUSD as a settlement currency alongside traditional fiat. Rau characterized the collaboration as "100% a strategic partnership" with the XRP Ledger. At scale, RLUSD integration could streamline cross-border transactions by reducing delays and costs while enabling near-instant finality compared to traditional correspondent banking.

Mastercard previously added Ripple to its Crypto Partner Program. Additionally, RLUSD has gained practical traction as futures collateral on Bitrue, improving capital efficiency for traders.