The 'stablecoin sandwich': Why speeding up payments isn't so simple, according to Mastercard

CHONGQING, CHINA - JULY 29: In this photo illustration, a person holds a smartphone displaying the logo of Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA), a global payments and technology company, with the company's distinctive red and yellow overlapping circles visible in the background, on July 29, 2025 in Chongqing, China. (Photo illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images)

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Stablecoins could offer faster and more efficient payments, but realizing their full potential requires further development of the infrastructure supporting them, according to Mastercard.

Stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency designed to keep a steady value via a peg to an asset like the U.S. dollar, could be attractive for certain remittance corridors and less commonly traded currency pairs, Matthew Driver, executive vice president of services for Asia Pacific at Mastercard, told CNBC in an interview.

"You don't want to have a 'stablecoin sandwich,'" Driver said, referring to a slow on-ramp into stablecoins, a fast transaction in the middle and a slow off-ramp back into fiat currency. That won't necessarily translate into faster payments, he said.

Connecting real-time payment systems to stablecoin exchanges on both ends of a transaction could help speed up payments, but "you still need to enable the infrastructure," he said, adding that market participants need to be able to use the technology effectively.

Opportunities for stablecoin adoption could vary across markets. In Singapore, where retail payments are already highly efficient, stablecoins may have fewer applications in consumer transactions, while corporate payments could offer greater opportunities, Driver said.

He also pointed to smart contracts as a potential use case for corporate payments, allowing transactions to be executed when certain conditions are met.

Interest in stablecoins has increased following the establishment of the U.S. GENIUS Act, Driver said.

His comments come as Mastercard expands its involvement in digital assets, including through its acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK, which was completed in August. Earlier this month, Mastercard and BVNK launched Global Money Platform, designed to help banks, fintechs and businesses manage payments involving traditional currencies and stablecoins through a single application programming interface.

Beyond payment speed, Mastercard is also looking to incorporate blockchain and identity data to establish the same level of trust expected across other payment systems, Driver said.