BlackRock, Mastercard Tap XRP Ledger To Settle Real Card Payments

BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton are actively exploring the XRP Ledger as infrastructure for payments, tokenization, and stablecoin settlement, a senior Ripple executive has confirmed.

Institutional Interest Grows

Ripple ecosystem leader Odelia Tortemansaid the three firms view the network as more than a venue for XRP(XRP) trading. She described it as a decentralized system where the token acts as a bridge asset across payments and multi-asset transfers.

The network features an automated market maker, a built-in decentralized exchange, and trust lines designed for know-your-customer compliance.

Last November, Mastercard joined Gemini and Ripple to pilot RLUSD stablecoin settlement for card payments on the ledger, in what the firms called a first for US-regulated banks using a public blockchain for card transactions.

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Tokenization Push Expands

Separately, Ripple worked with Securitize to let investors in BlackRock's BUIDL fund and VanEck's VBILL fund convert holdings into RLUSD, enabling round-the-clock liquidity through smart contracts.

A parallel deal with Franklin Templeton and DBS Bank last September paired tokenized money market funds with RLUSD for lending and trading.

XRP has gained nearly 10% over the past week, briefly breaking above $1.50 before settling near $1.42, its strongest run since September 2025. The rally follows $55 million in XRP ETF inflows and fresh utility deals with Rakuten and Kyobo Life.

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