Mastercard disclosed a strategic alliance with Abu Dhabi’s ADI Foundation to scale stablecoin settlement and tokenized asset use cases across the Middle East. The collaboration will enable domestic and international cross-border payments via stablecoins, roll out stablecoin-linked payment cards, and investigate tokenized real-world assets scenarios, while expanding digital asset support for remittances and B2B trade workflows.

The arrangement supports the UAE’s objective to become a regional hub for digital assets and blockchain infrastructure, delivering faster settlement times, clearer transaction visibility, and more resilient payment rails for banks, fintechs, merchants, and consumers.

Together, Mastercard and the ADI Foundation aim to strengthen interoperability, reinforce compliance standards, and accelerate mainstream adoption of tokenized assets and cross-border payments in the region.