Nearly 60% of the 593 million stablecoin transfers studied from 2025 were complex, multi-step deals — and Mastercard now wants to score the risk of every one before the money moves. The card giant has launched Stablecoin Security, a screening tool that gives banks a risk score on a stablecoin payment before it settles, so fraud, scams and sanctions exposure can be flagged while there is still time to stop the payment.
Key points:
• Mastercard unveiled Stablecoin Security at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas on Monday.
• The API-based tool combines Mastercard payment data with blockchain analytics to score fraud, scam and sanctions risk before a payment settles; first partners are Borderless.xyz and Keyrails.
• It launches first in North America, with global availability expected in 2027.
Stablecoins are easy to send but hard to police: once funds move on-chain, getting stolen money back is very difficult, and a payment can pass through several wallets and blockchains on its way. Banks already screen normal card payments for fraud, but they have had a blind spot with crypto dollars. Mastercard's new tool plugs into existing compliance and fraud systems through a simple API, checks where the funds came from, any exposure to restricted parties and scam warning signs, then produces a risk score banks can act on before settlement.
Read also: Visa and Mesh Open Crypto Spending at 175 Million Shops — No Card Needed?
The launch is the latest step in Mastercard's fast-growing stablecoin push. In August the company bought stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK in a deal worth about $1.8 billion, and it recently rolled out a Global Money Platform so businesses can hold and move both fiat and stablecoins through one connection. Stablecoin Security builds on Mastercard's existing Crypto Credential and Crypto Secure tools, and security chief Ann Johnson said institutions need the right intelligence and controls to join stablecoins with confidence.
The timing matters for traders too. Stablecoin payment volumes are climbing fast — about $482 billion so far this year, up 45% — even as new supply growth slows, and one major bank forecast still sees the market reaching $2 trillion by 2030. The card giants are racing on both sides of the business at once: Visa is opening stablecoin spending at 175 million shops, while Mastercard is selling banks the safety layer that could let bigger institutions join in.
Can banks make stablecoin payments safer?
Everything now depends on adoption: how many banks and payment firms plug the tool in, and whether screening slows payments down or simply makes them safer. If big institutions gain confidence to handle stablecoin flows at scale, volumes could grow much faster — and traders will watch stablecoin transfer numbers and payment-token activity as the clearest signal.
Read also: Stablecoin Payments Explode 45% to $482 Billion — What's Next?
— Crypto News Daily News Desk
This post is news only, not financial advice. Always do your own research before buying or selling crypto.
Sources: Cointelegraph, Decrypt, The Block
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