NEW YORK, March 3, 2026, 18:58 EST — After-hours
- Mastercard shares moved higher after hours, bucking the overall Wall Street decline as investors worried about inflation linked to the Middle East conflict.
- Mastercard and SoFi plan to look into settling card-based transactions on Mastercard’s network using SoFiUSD, the U.S. dollar stablecoin.
- Mastercard is set to speak at Morgan Stanley’s TMT conference on March 4, and investors are tuning in for any news about the company’s digital-asset and payments strategy.
Mastercard (MA) climbed roughly 0.6% to $524.32 in after-hours trading Tuesday, following news that the payments giant is deepening its collaboration with SoFi Technologies to integrate stablecoin settlement into its worldwide payments network.
The timing is key as payments companies push to accelerate settlement—the actual money handoff between banks—even as stablecoins shift beyond crypto markets into broader payments. McKinsey figures put daily stablecoin transaction volumes at roughly $30 billion. That’s a fraction of the global payments ecosystem, but the pace is picking up.
A stablecoin refers to a digital token meant to keep its value level with a currency like the U.S. dollar. Settlement comes after a card is used, marking the point when funds are actually transferred between the involved parties.
Mastercard said it’s looking into ways for issuers and acquirers—the banks behind card issuance and merchant payment processing—to settle card transactions with SoFiUSD. SoFi Bank, N.A., according to the companies, plans to handle its own Mastercard credit and debit settlements using SoFiUSD. Meanwhile, SoFi’s Galileo platform is targeting a rollout that would let clients choose the token for settlement.
SoFiUSD sits “at the heart of our strategy,” SoFi CEO Anthony Noto said. Mastercard’s Sherri Haymond described the project as a move to “expand choice and flexibility” for both consumers and businesses handling payments. https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-…
Just a day earlier, Santander and Mastercard announced they’d run what they described as Europe’s first live end-to-end payment handled by an AI agent, part of a controlled test with Mastercard Agent Pay. “Agentic payments represent a profound shift,” said Kelly Devine, Mastercard’s president for Europe. https://www.santander.com/en/press-room/pr…
It’s been a turbulent run for the broader market. Wall Street’s main indexes closed sharply down on Tuesday, with investors on edge over the Middle East conflict and the risk of stubbornly high energy prices fueling inflation, Reuters said.
Visa edged up 0.1% in after-hours, with American Express matching that move. PayPal tacked on 1.7%. Shares of Mastercard moved in a range from around $512.16 to $526.80 over the course of Tuesday’s session.
Mastercard’s chief commercial payments officer, Raj Seshadri, is slated to speak at Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Media & Telecom conference on Wednesday. Then, Linda Kirkpatrick—president of the Americas—will take the stage March 10 at the Wolfe FinTech Forum, the company confirmed.
Even so, stablecoin settlement isn’t rolling out overnight. Both companies pointed to existing regulatory hurdles and network requirements that could slow things down. Mastercard, meanwhile, is still dealing with ongoing scrutiny over card fees. Back in November, Visa and Mastercard put forward a new $38 billion settlement with merchants—court sign-off is still pending.
Regulators abroad are taking similar steps, with the Bank of England planning to open a consultation on electronic payment methods that don’t depend on debit or credit card networks. That initiative could ramp up pressure on the leading card firms down the line.
Next session, traders are set to track if the after-hours action sticks and if Mastercard gives more clarity—timelines, bank uptake, or settlement volumes related to stablecoins. The next clear catalyst: Wednesday’s remarks at the investor conference.
