Mastercard is realizing the potential of stablecoins worldwide, enabling instant crypto-fiat spending at 150 million locations through its partnership with Moonpay and API-based cards.
Mastercard opens the possibility to spend stablecoins at 150 million locations through Moonpay.
On May 15, Mastercard and Moonpay announced a global partnership aimed at integrating stablecoins into everyday transactions through a new line of branded payment cards. The initiative allows fintech companies and businesses to issue cards branded by Mastercard, directly linked to users' digital asset balances. As stated in the announcement:
Businesses and fintech companies will be able to use Mastercard-branded cards linked to users' stablecoin balances, providing cardholders the ability to spend their stablecoins, which will simultaneously be converted into fiat currency, at more than 150 million locations where Mastercard is accepted worldwide.
The collaboration relies on the Iron infrastructure acquired by Moonpay in March to provide an API-based system supporting seamless, instant conversions and stablecoin payments. These tools enable businesses, neobanks, and other financial players to execute global payouts, remittances, and cross-border transactions more efficiently.
Scott Abrahams, Executive Vice President of Global Partnerships at Mastercard, explained: "By providing solutions that unlock the potential and widespread use of stablecoins, we are redefining how money moves around the world and driving change in payments as we know them. Together with Moonpay, we are creating an innovative and secure bridge between the cryptocurrency and traditional financial ecosystems, based on trust and scale."
The integration of Moonpay across more than 500 crypto platforms provides access to over 100 million users, positioning the company for a global rollout of these new cards. With 20 million crypto wallets making monthly stablecoin transactions and 120 million holding stablecoin balances, companies are responding to the growing demand for reliable, real solutions for spending backed by digital assets. The partnership represents a significant step toward popularizing cryptocurrency payments within the traditional financial system.
Last month, Mastercard advanced its ambitions in stablecoins through key partnerships with OKX and Nuvei, initiating a comprehensive model where consumers can easily spend and merchants can directly accept stablecoins. With growing regulatory clarity worldwide, stablecoins are becoming essential financial instruments that optimize transfers, payouts, and payments. Mastercard's integrated structure encompasses wallet inclusion, card issuance, and acceptance, attracting partners like Binance, Kraken, and Crypto.com to bridge cryptocurrency and traditional finance.
