The Next Era of Payment Rails | Christian Rau, Reece Merrick, Nikola Plecas, Ian Allison

Stablecoins are becoming the new payment rails, and TradFi is meeting crypto in real time. In this BBW2025 panel, Mastercard’s Christian Rau, Ripple (XRP)’s Reece Merrick, and TON Foundation’s Nikola Plecas join CoinDesk’s Ian Allison to map the next era of global payments: compliant, always‑on, stablecoin‑powered, and built for scale. From Mastercard’s partnerships with Circle (USDC), PayPal (PYUSD), and Ripple (RLUSD) to Ripple’s regulatory wins in ADGM/DIFC and TON’s Telegram‑native flows, the panel dives into how on‑chain rails improve speed, reliability, and reach. They unpack why “liquidity begets liquidity,” how stablecoins unlock 24/7 treasury operations, what standards banks need to adopt blockchain as a rail, and why large, liquid venues and clearer regulation are pulling institutions in. *This panel covers:* ✅ Next‑gen payment rails: why stablecoins power the “behind‑the‑scenes” complexity in global payments ✅ Mastercard’s stance: safe, simple, secure — with compliance and consumer protection non‑negotiable ✅ Ripple’s playbook: DFSA/ADGM approvals, RLUSD growth, and multi‑chain (Ethereum + XRPL) use for real‑time settlement ✅ TON at scale: Telegram wallet UX, USDT flows, and an estimated ~$100B/month industry‑wide stablecoin settlement trend ✅ Why it matters for enterprises: 24/7 payouts, faster funding cycles, and lower friction across borders ✅ Market structure: depth, volume, and why liquidity attracts more flow — improving execution and price discovery ✅ Banks’ shift: from skepticism to digital‑asset strategies — what standards/consortia can unlock adoption ✅ Guardrails: analytics, screening, and blocking illicit activity to protect on‑chain payment networks ✅ Business models: where revenue lives as rails evolve — and why large, regulated venues enable institutional scale ✅ Outlook: ETFs, regulation, and tokenization as catalysts for mainstream, on‑chain payments *⏱️ Timestamps:* ⏳ 00:00 – Introduction with Ian Allison, CoinDesk ⏳ 00:35 – Introductions with Mastercard’s Christian Rau, Ripple’s Reece Merrick, & TON Foundation’s Nikola Plecas ⏳ 02:01 – Mastercard's Partnerships: Circle (USDC), PayPal (PYUSD), and Ripple (RLUSD) ⏳ 03:33 – Mastercard: why these partnerships matter under the compliance lens ⏳ 04:30 – Ripple: ADGM and DFSA/DIFC approvals, RLUSD adoption, and multi‑chain settlement ⏳ 06:13 – TON: Telegram wallet flows, USDT, and growing enterprise use cases ⏳ 07:52 – The growth of stablecoin volume and transactions ⏳ 08:36 – How does TradFi stay relevant within the financial services by exploring new technologies? ⏳ 11:50 – Revenue: Will Mastercard earn from these future payments? ⏳ 13:03 – Where do most RLUSD (Ripple's stablecoin) sit and where do the volumes lie? ⏳ 17:11 – The usecases of TON's stablecoin and TON Foundation's vision in the lens of utility ⏳ 19:13 – TON Guardrails: AML/analytics and blocking illicit flows ⏳ 19:59 – Weighing in on whether blockchains are the right direction for the future of payments and finance ⏳ 22:13 – Outro #binanceblockchainweek #stablecoins #mastercard #ripple #xrp #TON #tokenization #cryptoinvesting #crypto2026 #bbw2025 *⚠️ RISK WARNING:* Digital asset prices can be volatile. The value of your investment may go down or up and you may not get back the amount invested. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Binance is not liable for any losses you may incur. It is your responsibility to ascertain whether you are permitted to use the services of Binance based on your individual circumstances. Not financial advice. For more information, see our Terms of Use and Risk Warning. *📢 Join the conversation:* ➡️ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/binance ➡️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/binance ➡️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/binance ➡️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@binance ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.din.com/company/binance ➡️ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/binance *🔗 Download Binance here (iOS, Android):* https://binance.onelink.me/y874/cb98de36 *🔗 Sign up for Binance here:* https://www.binance.com/en?ref=ERQKP7ND&utm_source=BinanceYoutube&utm_medium=GlobalSocial&utm_campaign=GlobalSocial