# Mastercard Joins XRP Ledger Hackathon in New York > Source: > Published: 2026-08-27 00:10:00+00:00 Mastercard will sponsor an upcoming $XRP Ledger hackathon in New York, bringing major payments expertise into the developer event. The 36-hour competition will run October 24–25, shortly before Ripple’s annual Swell conference. Developers will build projects that explore new applications for the $XRP Ledger across several financial use cases. **Developers Target New Financial Applications** The hackathon will feature four tracks covering protocol innovation, agentic finance, lending, and borrowing. Further, teams having an existing product can add $XRP Ledger elements to their projects. Mastercard’s participation could provide developers with greater access to real-world payment systems. In addition, the company’s growing strategy toward the blockchain opens the door to projects related to stablecoin settlements and tokenized assets. **Mastercard is deepening Ripple Connection** The partnership between Mastercard and Ripple has grown with various blockchain projects. In 2025, Ripple entered into a partnership with Mastercard, WebBank, and Gemini regarding its stablecoin RLUSD. Significantly, Mastercard announced in June that its network would support regulated stablecoin settlement. The company included the $XRP Ledger among supported blockchain networks. Furthermore, Ripple joined Mastercard’s CBDC Partner Program in 2023. In May, both companies participated in an $XRP Ledger pilot involving Ondo Finance’s tokenized US Treasury fund. **Related:** Circle’s USDC Supply Surges $5B as Stablecoin Market Expands