As Bitcoin gradually recovers from a low near $65,500 and Ethereum attempts to rebound from roughly $1,800, the payment network Mastercard has filed plans to transform aspects of global payments infrastructure.

The company on Wednesday said it will offer issuers and acquirers additional settlement options, including intraday settlements, weekend and holiday processing, and blockchain-based settlements using regulated stablecoins. The new capabilities will operate alongside existing fiat processes and are intended to give financial institutions greater flexibility in managing liquidity.

Initially, Mastercard will support settlements in USDC from Circle; PYUSD, USDG, and USDP from Paxos; and RLUSD from Ripple and SoFiUSD — on the Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, and XRPL blockchains.

Behind the technical detail of the announcement lies a fundamental shift in the logic of global payments. Card transactions are authorized instantly, but settlements between banks and payment providers frequently occur later, in batches, and are constrained by banking hours. Mastercard's new scheme moves the network toward a model of continuous availability, where money is transferred and settled around the clock — without weekends, holidays, or time windows.

"The next phase of stablecoin adoption is about real-world utility, especially in settlement, where timing and liquidity matter most," Raj Dhamodharan, vice president for blockchain and digital assets at Mastercard, said. The company is effectively acknowledging that stablecoins have evolved beyond instruments for crypto trading and are becoming bona fide settlement assets for banks, payment firms, and asset managers.

Trading recommendations:

Buyers of BTC are targeting a return to $67,700, a level that would open a direct path to $69,500 and then to $71,400. A breach above $71,400 would indicate attempts to restore the bull market. On the downside, buyers are expected at $65,800. A return of the price below that area could quickly drag Bitcoin toward $64,300. The farther target is $62,600.

As for Ethereum, a clear hold above $1,901 would open a direct route to $1,963. The farther target is the high near $2,026. A break above that level would signal strengthening bullish sentiment and renewed buyer interest. On the downside, buyers are expected at $1,827. A fall below that point could rapidly send Ethereum toward $1,783, with a deeper target at $1,724.

What we see on the chart:

- Red lines indicate support and resistance levels where either a price slowdown or active growth is expected;

- Green lines indicate the 50-day moving average;

- Blue lines indicate the 100-day moving average;

- Light green lines indicate the 200-day moving average.

A crossover, or a price test of moving averages, typically either halts the move or sparks fresh market momentum.