SoFi Shares Rise on Mastercard Stablecoin Payments Deal

SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFI) closed Tuesday up 1.20% at $18.61, buoyed by a landmark expansion of its partnership with Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) that places its proprietary stablecoin, SoFiUSD, at the center of one of the world’s largest card payment networks. The announcement marks a significant step in SoFi’s evolution from a digital lending platform into a full-spectrum fintech powerhouse with ambitions in the fast-growing stablecoin payments space.

The deal came alongside an SEC filing disclosing that CEO Anthony Noto made a roughly $1 million open-market purchase of SOFI shares, his first insider buy in over a year. In premarket trading on March 4, shares climbed an additional 3.33% to $19.23, signaling continued investor enthusiasm heading into the session.

SoFi and Mastercard Deepen Stablecoin Partnership

SoFi Technologies announced on March 3, 2026 that it has entered into an enhanced partnership with Mastercard to enable SoFiUSD as a settlement option across Mastercard’s global payments network. SoFiUSD is issued by SoFi Bank, N.A., an OCC-regulated, nationally chartered and insured depository institution, and is fully reserved one-to-one by cash, making it the first stablecoin offered by a U.S. nationally chartered bank on a public, permissionless blockchain.

The stablecoin is also expected to be integrated into Mastercard’s Multi-Token Network, a digital asset platform designed to support interoperability across fiat currencies, stablecoins, and tokenized deposits. Under the partnership, SoFi Bank is expected to begin settling its own credit and debit card transactions on the Mastercard network using SoFiUSD, enabling around-the-clock settlement rather than relying on traditional banking hours.

Galileo, SoFi’s technology platform subsidiary, is expected to be among the first to offer this option to its card clients and partner banks, with the two companies also planning to explore cross-border remittances and business-to-business payment use cases.

Stablecoin transactions now total approximately $30 billion per day globally, and issuance doubled in 2025, a substantial and growing market that SoFi is now positioned to capture through Mastercard’s network spanning 200-plus countries.

SOFI Stock Brief: Premarket Gains and Key Metrics

SOFI shares closed at $18.61 on Tuesday, March 3, on trading volume of approximately 71.2 million shares — about 24% above its three-month average — before advancing further to $19.23 in premarket trading on March 4 at 8:40 AM EST.

The stock’s 52-week range of $8.60 to $32.73 underscores the significant volatility that has characterized the name, with SOFI up roughly 37% over the past year but down approximately 29% year-to-date amid broader fintech valuation concerns. The company delivered better-than-expected Q4 2025 earnings, with quarterly revenue surpassing $1 billion and EPS of $0.12 beating the $0.11 consensus estimate, its fourth consecutive quarterly beat.

Analyst sentiment is mixed, with SOFI holding a Hold consensus rating based on five Buys, seven Holds, and three Sells, and an average price target of approximately $26.50 implying roughly 42% upside from Tuesday’s close. The next earnings date is scheduled for April 28, 2026.

Disclaimer: The author does not hold or have a position in any securities discussed in the article. All stock prices were quoted at the time of writing.