Mastercard Eyes Crypto Expansion with Partnerships and Debit Cards
Summary
- Mastercard is seeking more partnerships with crypto entities to expand its cryptocurrency payment card offering.
- Mastercard offers cryptocurrency debit cards for several entities, including Gemini, Nexo, Bitso, Lulu Exchange, Bybit, and Binance.
- Traditional financial institutions’ appetite for such partnerships appears to be reduced due to recent regulatory scrutiny.
Mastercard Eyes Expansion of Crypto Services
Payments infrastructure company Mastercard is seeking more partnerships with crypto entities to expand its cryptocurrency payment card offering. Reuters reported that the company’s head of crypto and blockchain, Raj Dhamodharan, disclosed this on April 28.
Current Partnerships
Dhamodharan said: “We have dozens of partners around the world who offer crypto card programmes and they continue to expand. Providing access to crypto in a safe way is also part of our value proposition and we’re continuing to do that.” Mastercard offers cryptocurrency debit cards for several entities, including Gemini, Nexo, Bitso, Lulu Exchange, Bybit, and Binance. Beyond cryptocurrency payment cards, Mastercard also has relationships with other crypto entities like Coinbase and Bakkt. Other major card issuers such as Visa and American Express also have some collaborations with crypto firms.
Regulatory Scrutiny Impacts Banking Partnerships
The recent regulatory scrutiny appears to have reduced traditional financial institutions‘ appetite for such partnerships. Several crypto firms are currently struggling to find banking partners. Companies like Coinbase had recently announced plans to move their accounts from Barclays UK-based accounts over fears of possible account closure by the bank due to increased regulatory pressure.