Agentic Payments

Mastercard Multi-Token Fabric

Mastercard's multi-token network connecting banks, fintechs, and blockchains for tokenized asset movement.

Vendors

Mastercard · Partner Banks

Compliance Center

Network-level compliance at Authorization

A5 — Mastercard Multi-Token Fabric · Rails: agentic · Protocols: MTN, USDC · Origin: United States — Federal
CTR (USD 10,000+)TRAVEL-RULE (USD 3,000+)ENHANCED-DUE-DILIGENCE (USD 50,000+)
A5 — MASTERCARD MULTI-TOKEN FABRICYOU ARE HERE● Participating B…POLICY⬣ MTN Compliance …CODE≡ Cross-Chain Tok…CODE● Receiving Insti…POLICY● Settlement Fina…POLICYIntentIdentityDiscoveryNegotiationTransportAuthorizationFacilitationFinalitySTEP 1STEP 2STEP 3STEP 4STEP 5ETHEREUMVisual system: StablecoinAtlas.com · Steps mapped to 8 STP Stages
L5 APPLICATIONL4 ACCOUNTL3 EXECUTIONL2 CONSENSUSL1 NETWORKETHEREUM
L5 APPLICATIONWallet UX, consent, policy engineBank customer channel / issuer app
L4 ACCOUNTBalances, addresses, signing keysCore banking ledger / DDA

Step 1 · Participating Bank/FintechPolicy-EnforcedBlockchain-Native

A bank's treasury desk initiating a tokenized payment — the institution is pre-vetted, the operator authenticated.

A participating bank or fintech initiates a tokenized asset transfer through Mastercard's Multi-Token Network. L4+L5 lit — identity and authorization are policy-enforced. The participant operates under existing financial licenses; MTN inherits the institution's regulatory posture.

Active Compliance Checkpoints
C2 OFAC SDN/SSI list screening — OFAC 50 USC § 1702 (United States — Federal) · GENIUS §6
⚠ ENHANCED-DUE-DILIGENCE triggered at USD 50,000 — 31 CFR § 1010.312 — Enhanced Due Diligence (United States — Federal)
Counterparty
Self (participating institution)
Latency
Instant · API initiation
Finality
N/A — instruction only
Vendors
MetaMask / Fireblocks · EOA / ERC-4337
L5 APPLICATIONL4 ACCOUNTL3 EXECUTIONL2 CONSENSUSL1 NETWORKETHEREUM
L4 ACCOUNTBalances, addresses, signing keysCore banking ledger / DDA
L3 EXECUTIONSmart contracts, swap / bridge logicClearing & matching engine
◆ Enforcement Line — code-enforced below, policy-enforced above

Step 2 · MTN Compliance GatewayCode-EnforcedBlockchain-Native

Mastercard's network authorization — the transaction is screened, validated, and routed through Mastercard's compliance infrastructure.

Mastercard's MTN compliance layer screens the transaction: sanctions checks, counterparty verification, and Travel Rule data exchange. The MTN smart contract layer can enforce programmable rules — whitelists, velocity limits, geographic restrictions. L3+L4 lit — compliance straddles code and policy.

Active Compliance Checkpoints
C2 OFAC SDN/SSI list screening — OFAC 50 USC § 1702 (United States — Federal) · GENIUS §6
Counterparty
Mastercard MTN compliance gateway
Latency
<1s · network-level screening
Finality
Pre-condition gate — blocks if compliance fails
Vendors
Chainalysis OFAC Oracle · Uniswap v4 · Circle CCTP v2 · EOA / ERC-4337
L5 APPLICATIONL4 ACCOUNTL3 EXECUTIONL2 CONSENSUSL1 NETWORKETHEREUM
L3 EXECUTIONSmart contracts, swap / bridge logicClearing & matching engine
L2 CONSENSUSValidator ordering, block productionRTGS settlement engine
L1 NETWORKP2P, finality, data availabilityMessaging rail (SWIFT / Fedwire)
◆ Enforcement Line — code-enforced below, policy-enforced above

Step 3 · Cross-Chain Token RoutingCode-EnforcedBlockchain-Native

The clearing leg of a card payment — value is routed through the network's settlement infrastructure.

MTN routes the tokenized asset across chains if needed, or settles on the same chain. The network's bridge layer handles cross-chain coordination with Mastercard's settlement guarantees. L1+L2+L3 lit — transport executes entirely below the enforcement line.

Counterparty
Mastercard MTN settlement layer
Latency
~12s · Ethereum block (same-chain) / variable (cross-chain)
Finality
Pending · awaiting settlement confirmation
Vendors
Circle CCTP v2 · Ethereum P2P + EIP-4844 · Ethereum PoS Validators · Uniswap v4 · Chainalysis OFAC Oracle
L5 APPLICATIONL4 ACCOUNTL3 EXECUTIONL2 CONSENSUSL1 NETWORKETHEREUM
L5 APPLICATIONWallet UX, consent, policy engineBank customer channel / issuer app
L4 ACCOUNTBalances, addresses, signing keysCore banking ledger / DDA

Step 4 · Receiving InstitutionPolicy-EnforcedBlockchain-Native

The acquiring bank's credit confirmation — funds received, compliance obligations activate.

The receiving institution's custody account is credited. L4+L5 lit on the receiving side. Mastercard's network-level authorization at this stage provides the compliance guarantee — the receiving institution can rely on MTN's screening rather than duplicating it. Recordkeeping obligations attach.

Active Compliance Checkpoints
C2 OFAC SDN/SSI list screening — OFAC 50 USC § 1702 (United States — Federal) · GENIUS §6
C7 Notabene IVMS101 or Chainalysis Connect — FATF Rec. 16; 31 CFR 1010.410(f) (United States — Federal) · GENIUS §7, §8
⚠ CTR triggered at USD 10,000 — 31 CFR § 1010.311 — Currency Transaction Report (United States — Federal)
⚠ TRAVEL-RULE triggered at USD 3,000 — 31 CFR § 1010.410(f) — Funds Transfer Recordkeeping (United States — Federal)
Counterparty
Receiving institution
Latency
Instant on settlement
Finality
Final on Mastercard network confirmation
Vendors
MetaMask / Fireblocks · EOA / ERC-4337
L5 APPLICATIONL4 ACCOUNTL3 EXECUTIONL2 CONSENSUSL1 NETWORKETHEREUM
L5 APPLICATIONWallet UX, consent, policy engineBank customer channel / issuer app

Step 5 · Settlement FinalityPolicy-EnforcedBlockchain-Native

Mastercard's end-of-cycle settlement — the network's final word on the transaction.

MTN settlement is final. Both institutions hold matching settlement records. The Mastercard network provides the authoritative settlement confirmation — disputes resolve through traditional card-network arbitration, not on-chain governance. Tax and recordkeeping obligations crystallize at L5.

Active Compliance Checkpoints
C11 SAR/CTR filing via BSA E-Filing — 31 CFR § 1010.320 (United States — Federal) · GENIUS §9
Counterparty
Mastercard settlement network
Latency
T+0 (real-time settlement)
Finality
Final · irrevocable on MTN
Vendors
EOA / ERC-4337 · MetaMask / Fireblocks

Resolved 5 steps across 1 chain(s). 3 threshold(s) triggered. Frameworks: Bank Secrecy Act, GENIUS Act, OFAC Sanctions Program, FATF Recommendation 16 (Travel Rule), Common Reporting Standard / FATCA.