INFINIOS Goes Live with Mastercard on Stablecoin Settlement in Bahrain

INFINIOS, a Bahrain-based digital financial infrastructure company, has gone live with Mastercard on stablecoin settlement, becoming the first issuer in Bahrain and one of the first fintechs in the Middle East to enable Mastercard settlement using stablecoins. The launch establishes a regulated pathway for blockchain-native settlement in the region and paves the way for faster, more efficient settlement capabilities for banks, fintechs and enterprises accessing Mastercard’s global network.

“By going live with Mastercard on stablecoin settlement, INFINIOS is helping define the future of how money moves — faster, more transparent, and designed for a digital first economy. Bahrain is once again proving it can lead in payment innovation and financial ecosystem transformation,” said Sherif Abdelsalam, CEO, INFINIOS.

Operational and regulatory readiness

INFINIOS was selected as an early live partner by Mastercard following rigorous regulatory, operational and technical readiness assessments. The integration is part of Mastercard’s broader regional strategy to introduce regulated, real-world blockchain use cases into the mainstream payments ecosystem, bridging traditional finance with tokenized money.

• The deployment supports settlement using stablecoins, bringing programmability and near-real-time capabilities to existing payment rails.
• INFINIOS’ role as an issuer in Bahrain positions the company as a local hub for tokenized settlement services that can be accessed by banks, fintechs and corporate customers.
• Mastercard’s programme selected INFINIOS among initial Middle East partners as it expands its blockchain and digital asset initiatives in the region.

“At Mastercard, we are bringing our global network of partners together to shape the future of stablecoin adoption and power a new wave of digitalization in financial services. Our collaboration with INFINIOS will advance the move toward trusted, enterprise-grade digital settlement rails across the Middle East,” said Saud Swar, Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and other Levant markets at Mastercard.

Context and technical implications

The live launch introduces a foundation for 24/7 settlement capabilities that will be introduced progressively over time, addressing long-standing inefficiencies in cross-border and institutional payments while maintaining full regulatory compliance. By combining Mastercard’s payments infrastructure and network reach with blockchain-based money, the partnership aims to reduce settlement latency, increase transparency and enable programmable payment flows for use cases that require rapid finality.

Practically, the offering enables participants in Bahrain’s financial ecosystem to clear and settle transactions with stablecoins that are integrated into Mastercard’s settlement processes. The move underscores Bahrain’s continued positioning as a fintech-forward jurisdiction willing to test regulated tokenisation and digital asset use cases at scale.

Outlook

The INFINIOS–Mastercard deployment will be rolled out progressively, with broader 24/7 settlement capabilities planned over time. For regional banks, payment processors and fintechs, the integration provides a path to experiment with tokenised settlement in a regulated environment while accessing Mastercard’s global rails. If adoption grows, the initiative could catalyse further enterprise-grade blockchain payment services across the Middle East, accelerating the shift toward programmable, near-real-time settlement across cross-border and institutional corridors.