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Mastercard Selects 5 Startups for Blockchain Program
MasterCard has selected five startups from around the world to participate in its The Blockchain and digital assets journey begins plan.
This program is designed to connect Mastercard with industry experts and FinTechs so they can work together to explore differentiated use cases where blockchain and digital assets can help solve real-world problems, the company said in a Wednesday (15 May) Press release.
“Mastercard’s expertise in payments innovation and building a global card-based payments network uniquely positions the company to connect these ecosystems with startups, fuel new solutions, and create efficiencies in digital commerce experiences,” Mastercard said in the statement.
According to the release, blockchain, digital assets and Web3 startups participating in the four-month virtual program can benefit from collaboration, tailored training and access to Mastercard’s customers and channels.
Since the Start Path Blockchain and Digital Assets program was founded in 2014, Mastercard has supported more than 400 startups from 54 countries, the release said.
The five new program participants announced Wednesday include Kulipaa French startup enabling the issuance of next-generation crypto payment cards for digital wallets; Parfina UK startup creating enterprise-grade software products that enable financial institutions to adopt blockchain binaries; peaka Singapore startup providing permissionless, borderless digital infrastructure for real-world apps; Triangle, an American startup that provides a data platform that triangulates climate data with finance; AND Venousa Belgian startup that facilitates blockchain integration for developers and businesses, according to the release.
CEO and co-founder of Parfin Marcos Viriato said Wednesday that the company looks forward to working with Mastercard and other startups to explore new use cases for the technology.
“We started Parfin to build the infrastructure and software products to help institutions easily move their business onto blockchain rails,” Viriato said in a press release emailed to PYMNTS. “With decades of experience in traditional finance (TradFi) and deep expertise in digital assets and decentralized finance (DeFi), Parfin combines the best of both worlds for a unified finance (UniFi) approach that seamlessly brings together banking and blockchain.”
In another move in this space, Mastercard said in October 2023 that it had partnered with MoonPay to explore how Web3 Technologies it can improve consumer connections and redefine customer loyalty and engagement.
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