Mastercard has partnered with the ADI Foundation, an Abu Dhabi-based group dedicated to supporting governments and institutions through blockchain infrastructure.
The move aims to advance blockchain-driven asset tokenisation and stablecoin-enabled payment developments in the Middle East, supporting the UAE’s mission to become a hub for digital currencies. Additionally, the alliance is advantageous to financial institutions, fintechs, merchants, and consumers, as it offers faster and more transparent payment solutions.
Supporting blockchain developments in the UAE with multiple collaborations
Mastercard’s alliance with the ADI Foundation will focus on stablecoin-based settlement for domestic and cross-border transactions, stablecoin-linked payment cards and tokenised real-world assets use cases, and remittance and B2B trade flows solutions that use digital assets. This will improve interoperability, regulatory compliance, and development speed for decentralised blockchain infrastructure, while promoting secure use of the technology.
Mastercard is committed to offering new opportunities for innovation in the industry by partnering with multiple organisations and identifying high-impact use cases. The main focus on advancing asset tokenisation and stablecoin-based applications to allow for faster and more secure transactions.
These plans reflect the company’s mission to bridge the gap between TradFi and DeFi. For the ADI Foundation, this means the next step in building a more inclusive digital ecosystem and reaching its goal to bring one billion individuals into the digital economy by 2030. Leveraging its compliant blockchain infrastructure and Mastercard’s global experience, the alliance offers practical solutions that deliver societal impact in emerging markets.
The initiative follows Mastercard’s partnership with Circle, which enables USDC and EURC stablecoin settlement for acquirers across the EEMEA region. Building on this, NEO PAY and INFINIOS also joined Mastercard to further expand the reach of stablecoin settlement, with INFINIOS using stablecoin for both funding and settlement, which aligns with FIs adopting the rails and expanding services to their underlying partners.
