Mastercard is making key moves in the digital asset landscape by launching a new global partnership program that includes over 85 firms across the payment and financial sectors. Names like Circle, Binance, and Ripple are among those joining this initiative, aimed at connecting crypto payments to Mastercard’s network.
Mastercard’s New Crypto Strategy
In a statement released on Wednesday, Mastercard outlined the program’s primary goal: to scale digital assets and integrate them seamlessly into existing payment frameworks.
By positioning itself as a bridge between digital assets and conventional payment systems, Mastercard is enhancing its offering to early-stage crypto firms with services like card programs, global merchant acceptance, and cross-border settlement.
The diverse array of partners in this new program also includes entities such as SoFi Technologies, Global Payments’ Worldpay, PayPal, BitGo, Crypto.com, Gemini, Marqeta, Paxos, and Shift4, among others.
Mastercard emphasized that enterprise and institutional use cases, such as payments, settlement, and cross-border transactions, are emerging rapidly, opening avenues for enhancing how money moves on a global scale.
This initiative follows a collaboration announced in November of last year, where Ripple, Gemini, and WebBank worked with Mastercard to explore settling Gemini Credit Card transactions using Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin on the XRP Ledger (XRPL).
Ripple’s License Push; Binance Battles WSJ
Beyond Mastercard’s expansion, Ripple has also disclosed on Wednesday plans to secure an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL).
This license will enable Ripple to broaden its payment offerings in Australia, catering to financial institutions, fintechs, and enterprises that require efficient ways to transfer value internationally while adhering to regulatory standards.
Ripple intends to obtain the AFSL through its proposed acquisition of BC Payments Australia Pty Ltd, a move that is currently undergoing the necessary completion processes.
Once in place, the AFSL will enhance Ripple’s capacity to provide an end-to-end platform for global fund transfers, managing everything from compliance and funding to foreign exchange and liquidity management.
On a different note, crypto exchange Binance filed a complaint against The Wall Street Journal, alleging the publication of a misleading and defamatory article dated February 23, 2026.
Binance’s Global Head of Litigation, Dugan Bliss, stated that the company views this lawsuit as essential to defending itself against misinformation that has led to reputational damage and harmful business impacts. Bliss added:
This type of reporting erodes trust in the broader industry and undermines the efforts of those who are committed to protecting users and advancing positive innovation.
At the time of writing, XRP was trading at $1.38, marking a significant 3% loss within the 24-hour time frame. This was the largest decline among the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, surpassed only by Dogecoin’s (DOGE) 7% drop during the same period.
Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com
