Mastercard Sees Stablecoins as a Tool, Not a Threat
Date: 2025-09-03 Author: Henry Casey Categories: BUSINESS
Christian Rau, head of Mastercard's crypto division, noted that in 2024, the international turnover of transfers in stablecoins reached $27.6 trillion, which exceeded the combined volume of transactions through Visa and Mastercard. In his opinion, stablecoins can make cross-border settlements more efficient, but at the same time they are not able to replace standard payment services.
The main reason is the lack of user protection. Token issuers do not provide dispute resolution and fraud protection, which makes them a limited tool. Rau emphasizes that stablecoins should be viewed as an addition to traditional payment systems, and not as their competitor. "Cryptocurrencies do not create a new payment system and do not try to replace it. On the contrary, they improve existing payments. For Mastercard, stablecoins are a building block, not a threat,” the top manager explained.
Mastercard actively cooperates with crypto platforms MetaMask, BitGet Exchange and MoonPay. Together with MetaMask, the company has developed a system where smart contracts check the availability of funds in real time. In addition, Mastercard cryptocurrency cards allow you to convert digital assets into fiat when paying, while the seller sees a regular transaction.
The company does not yet plan to create its own blockchain, giving preference to existing networks. However, Rau does not rule out that in the future, Mastercard may develop its own technology if current solutions do not meet the company's requirements.
Earlier, another Mastercard representative, Raj Damodaran, predicted that in 2025, stablecoins, tokenization and blockchain technologies will become even more closely integrated with the banking sector. This will expand the capabilities of financial services and improve the efficiency of international settlements.
Thus, Mastercard views stablecoins as a complement to traditional payment instruments, rather than as a replacement for them, which highlights the company's strategic approach to innovation in the field of digital assets.
