Abstract
Mastercard has launched Stablecoin Security, a risk intelligence tool that enables financial institutions to screen for fraud, scams, and sanctions risks throughout the entire transaction lifecycle of stablecoin payments, and to generate risk scores before payment settlement.
This tool is provided through a platform-independent API, with partners including Borderless.xyz and Keyrails. Its purpose is to address a risk blind spot. Mastercard cites a study by the Bank for International Settlements that indicates that by 2025, nearly 60% of stablecoin transactions will be complex, multi-step transactions.
This is an extension of Mastercard's stablecoin strategy – from Global Money Platform supported by BVNK, to AI acting as a payment agent. The product will be launched first in North America and is expected to be available globally in 2027.
Mastercard is extending its anti-fraud capabilities to the field of stablecoins, launching a tool that allows financial institutions to screen for fraud, scams, and sanctions risks in token payments pegged to the US dollar before the funds are actually put on the blockchain.
This product, named Stablecoin Security, was announced on Monday at the Money20/20 conference held in Las Vegas. It combines MasterCard's payment intelligence with blockchain analytics to assess risks throughout the entire lifecycle of a transaction, from the moment it is initiated until its flow on the public ledger.
The company launched this product together with two of the first batch of project participants, namely Borderless.xyz and Keyrails. Both companies have previously participated in MasterCard's Start Path blockchain accelerator project.
As stablecoins enter the fields of cross-border payments and business-to-business payments, these products have targeted a growing risk blind spot. Mastercard cites a study by the Bank for International Settlements on 593 million stablecoin transactions in 2025, which indicates that nearly 60% of these were complex, multi-step transactions, rather than simple one-to-one payments. This makes it more difficult for institutions to assess the risks throughout the entire fund transfer process.
This tool, delivered through a platform-independent API, is capable of analyzing sources of funds, risk exposures to restricted parties, and signs of scams, among other indicators. It generates a risk score before payment and settlement, allowing for integration with existing compliance and anti-fraud workflows.
Ann Johnson, Executive Vice President of MasterCard's Security Solutions, stated: "Stablecoins are creating new possibilities for value exchange, but financial institutions need to have the appropriate intelligence and control capabilities in order to participate with confidence." She described this tool as part of the company's effort to extend anti-fraud capabilities to the digital assets domain.
MasterCard also stated that the company has obtained BitLicense from New York State, covering stablecoins and tokenized deposit services; and is working with Coinbase and Ripple to advance AI agent payments; at the same time, it is expanding stablecoin settlement to Circle's USDC and Ripple's RLUSD.
MasterCard stated that Stablecoin Security is built on the foundation of existing tools such as Crypto Credential and Crypto Secure, and plans to further expand the product's coverage in 2027, including through the promotion via BVNK. This solution will be launched first in North America and is expected to be available globally next year.
