Mastercard and MoonPay have announced a partnership aimed at bringing stablecoin payments into the mainstream, enabling businesses and consumers to spend digital assets as easily as traditional currencies.
Under the agreement, enterprises and fintechs will be able to issue Mastercard-branded cards linked to users’ stablecoin balances. These cards will allow stablecoin spending at more than 150 million locations worldwide, with transactions automatically converting to fiat currency.
Scott Abrahams, executive vice president of Global Partnerships at Mastercard, said the partnership was a significant step in transforming payments: “By providing solutions that unlock stablecoin utility and ubiquity, we are redefining how money moves globally and driving a shift in payments as we know it.”
The partnership leverages MoonPay’s recent acquisition of Iron, which provides API-driven stablecoin infrastructure. This technology will help businesses streamline cross-border transactions, manage payouts more efficiently, and offer stablecoin-based payments to gig workers, contractors, and creators.
Ivan Soto-Wright, founder and CEO of MoonPay, highlighted the collaboration’s impact:
“With Mastercard, we’re bringing convenient, trusted stablecoin-enabled cards to crypto users around the world. Our acquisition of Iron and long-standing relationship with Mastercard allow us to power a new era of payments made with stablecoins.”
MoonPay already integrates with over 500 crypto platforms and estimates that 20 million wallets globally make monthly stablecoin transactions, with 120 million holding stablecoin balances.
Mastercard has been expanding its digital payments capabilities, and this latest move cements its role in the growing stablecoin ecosystem. As mainstream financial institutions deepen their engagement with digital assets, stablecoins are increasingly becoming a critical component of everyday payments.
