TLDR:
- RLUSD stablecoin received reported praise during an XRPL Commons hackathon pitch session, but the account came from community member Lost Art rather than an official Mastercard release.
- Mastercard is listed as an event partner, and the 36-hour New York hackathon on October 24–25 features more than $40,000 in prizes across four developer tracks.
- Ripple and Mastercard announced plans in 2025 to explore RLUSD settlement for Gemini card transactions, subject to approvals; Mastercard later included RLUSD in broader settlement plans.
- The reported compliment does not establish a product launch or XRP demand catalyst; published announcements provide no new settlement volumes or market-impact data tied to the event.
Mastercard has reportedly praised Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin during the XRP Ledger Hackathon in New York, according to an attendee’s post. The comment came during a presentation about partner pitch requirements, not in a company statement. The event runs October 24–25 and lists Mastercard among its ecosystem partners.
Mastercard has announced plans to include RLUSD among regulated settlement options and XRPL among supported blockchain networks. That report adds visibility to Ripple’s token; it does not confirm a new product, rollout, or change to XRP demand. Developers are exploring financial applications on XRPL, but the post alone says little about commercial adoption.
RLUSD Stablecoin Praise Reported at New York Hackathon
Lost Art, an XRPL community member on X, said Mastercard representatives complimented the RLUSD stablecoin while explaining partner pitch requirements. The account shared its report on October 24. It provided no recording, named speaker, or direct company statement. The remark theref ore remains an attendee’s account, not a formal Mastercard endorsement.
XRPL Commons describes the New York gathering as a 36-hour build sprint. Developers are building payment applications, lending products, and protocol upgrades. It runs October 24–25, just before Ripple Swell, and the organizers list Mastercard as a partner.
Other listed partners include Ripple, the XRP Ledger Foundation, Ledger, AWS, and QuickNode. More than $40,000 in prizes supports four tracks: agentic finance, lending and borrowing, protocol innovation, and an open category. The agenda creates space to test stablecoin uses, without promising a payment launch.
Mastercard’s work with Ripple predates the event. In November 2025, Ripple announced that Mastercard, WebBank, and Gemini would explore RLUSD stablecoin settlement for fiat card transactions. WebBank issues the Gemini Credit Card. The partners planned RLUSD settlement on XRPL between the bank and Mastercard. Ripple said onboarding and integration planning remained subject to regulatory approvals.
Mastercard Settlement Plans Leave XRP Demand Unclear
In June 2026, Mastercard announced plans to add regulated stablecoin settlement options across its network. The company named the RLUSD stablecoin among supported choices, alongside USDC, SoFiUSD, and Paxos-issued tokens. It also named XRPL as one of the supported networks. Mastercard described the expansion as new options for issuers and acquirers, with a wider rollout subject to regulation.
Mastercard said on-chain settlement would retain existing security, fraud, and dispute safeguards. Those controls would operate beside traditional processes, giving participating issuers and acquirers more timing choices. Naming RLUSD among planned options does not mean every bank, card program, or market can use it today. The company did not say whether RLUSD settlement is live today across partners.
Those announcements provide commercial context for the event, but do not confirm the hackathon remark. Lost Art’s post did not describe a contract, launch date, or settlement volume. Mastercard’s partner listing also does not show that event projects will enter its network.
The agentic finance track focuses on software that can make payments and transact on-chain. XRPL Commons says applications may settle in XRP or the RLUSD stablecoin. Teams can demonstrate ideas at a hackathon, but deployment still requires a product decision and operational controls.