Mastercard Unlocks Stablecoin Payments For 150 Million Merchants

In a wide-ranging CNBC interview, Ivan Soto-Wright, CEO of MoonPay, shared his vision for how stablecoins—blockchain-based digital dollars—are set to revolutionize the global financial system. Partnering with MasterCard, MoonPay is now working to bring stablecoin-powered payments to the mainstream. Stablecoins: The New Rails for Global Money “Stablecoins are a really big deal. It’s personal for me,” said Soto-Wright, who is half Venezuelan. “There are people all around the world who rely on money sent from the U.S. Stablecoins offer a faster, cheaper, and more inclusive way to move dollars across borders.” He explained that stablecoins are essentially U.S. dollars on a blockchain, allowing anyone with a phone and internet connection to receive money in seconds, not days, and at virtually no cost. Why MasterCard? As crypto adoption grows—with over 120 million wallet addresses holding stablecoins and 30 million active users—MoonPay saw the need to bridge blockchain-based money with the traditional payments ecosystem. Enter MasterCard. “We’ve been working with MasterCard for years now,” Soto-Wright said, crediting MasterCard executives Michael Miebach and Sherri Haymond for helping launch the new initiative. “It was a logical step to bring stablecoin spending to everyday users through a familiar card network.” From Disruption to Evolution Asked whether this innovation could disrupt or cannibalize traditional finance, Soto-Wright emphasized evolution over destruction. “This is the next technological leap,” he said. “Legacy systems in different countries don’t communicate well. Blockchains solve that with a shared financial language. Stablecoins are built on top of that.” He argued that future generations won’t accept the inefficiencies of the current financial system. “Why pay 6% in remittance fees when you can do it for a fraction of a penny using stablecoins?” Embedded Finance and the Internet-Native Future Soto-Wright sees stablecoin integration as part of a broader shift toward “internet-native money.” He predicts that crypto wallets will eventually be embedded in every app and device, just as messaging and GPS have become default features of mobile life. MoonPay’s acquisition of Iron, a stablecoin API platform, aligns with this goal—simplifying how businesses integrate blockchain-based payments into their products. “Our job is to democratize access to better technology,” he concluded. “And the best technology always wins.” Reporter at Coindoo Kosta has been a part of the team since 2021 and has solidified his position with a thirst for knowledge, incredible dedication to his work and a “detective-like” mindset. He not only covers a wide range of trending topics, he also creates reviews, PR articles and educational content. His work has also been referenced by other news outlets. Related stories Next article !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');fbq('init','1188189499475368');fbq('track','PageView'); Source: https://coindoo.com/mastercard-unlocks-stablecoin-payments-for-150-million-merchants/