Sphere Joins Mastercard’s Crypto Partner Program

Stablecoins have quietly become one of the most reliable ways to move money across borders. The harder part has always been the last mile: connecting onchain settlement to the banks, cards, and compliance frameworks that the rest of the world runs on today. That's the gap Sphere Labs was built to close, and it's the reason we're excited to share that we've has been accepted into the Mastercard Crypto Partner Program.

The Crypto Partner Program is designed to bring together a curated group of companies building critical infrastructure and capabilities across the digital asset ecosystem. It's a shared framework for aligning innovation, accelerating responsible growth, and shaping the next phase of onchain money movement. For Sphere, it's a chance to work alongside one of the most established networks in global payments as stablecoin infrastructure and mainstream commerce continue to converge.

Why this matters

Sphere already facilitates billions in stablecoin transactions, with a focus on corridors that legacy financial infrastructure has traditionally underserved, including Latin America and Southeast Asia. SpherePay, our cross-border payments API and dashboard solution, gives fintechs and institutions a single orchestration layer for on- and off-ramps, international transfers, payouts, and compliance controls.

Joining the Mastercard Crypto Partner Program extends that work in three directions that matter to our customers:

• Bridging onchain and everyday commerce. Collaborating within Mastercard's framework helps connect the speed and reach of stablecoin rails to the infrastructure that powers global commerce today.
• Responsible, standards-based growth. The program emphasizes consistent standards and compliance as partners scale across markets, an approach that mirrors how Sphere has always built.
• A closer connection to global payments. Being part of Mastercard's ecosystem opens the door to explore new markets, jurisdictions, and rails over time.

What comes next

The Crypto Partner Program is organized around focused tracks: stablecoin issuers and infrastructure providers, on- and off-ramp providers, crypto card enablers, blockchains, and blockchain service providers. Sphere's work spans several of these, with a focus on expanding choice and empowering businesses through cross-border money movement and payout solutions. We'll engage where our infrastructure can add the most value for platforms moving money globally.

This program puts Sphere alongside the networks and builders setting the standards for global payments, and that's exactly where we intend to be.

"Stablecoins are becoming a core part of how money moves globally, but adoption still depends on connecting that infrastructure to the systems people and businesses already trust. Being part of the Mastercard Crypto Partner Program lets us do exactly that, and we're looking forward to helping shape what responsible, onchain money movement looks like at scale."

— Arnold Lee, CEO, Sphere Labs

About the Mastercard Crypto Partner Program

The Mastercard Crypto Partner Program is built for crypto-native teams that want to deploy faster, scale globally, and unlock real-world adoption, with Mastercard as a collaborator. Through focused tracks and go-to-market support, the program brings together stablecoin issuers, infrastructure and ramp providers, crypto card enablers, blockchains, and blockchain service providers to help shape the next phase of onchain money movement.

Learn more at the Mastercard Crypto Partner Program.