The payment system has entered into a partnership agreement with Hong Kong startup Amber Group, Australian crypto exchange CoinJar and Thai trading platform Bitkub
Payment system Mastercard announced plans to start issuing credit, debit and prepaid cryptocurrency cards in the Asia-Pacific region.
To do this, the company entered into a partnership agreement with Hong Kong startup Amber Group, Australian crypto exchange CoinJar and Thai trading platform Bitkub. Crypto card holders will be able to convert digital assets into fiat currency at the time of payment.
Mastercard noted that at the moment the interest in cryptocurrency payments in the Asia-Pacific region is at a record high.
According to a company survey, 45% of the region’s residents are considering using cryptocurrency payments in the next year. A year ago, the number of such residents did not exceed 12%.
For the first time, Mastercard issued a crypto card last summer as part of a partnership with the Wirex project. The cryptocurrency card is available only to residents of Europe.
At the end of October, Mastercard announced the integration of cryptocurrency payments into its payment system.
Mastercard partners, including merchants and banks, will soon be able to add support for digital assets to their own products.
To do this, the payment network has partnered with the Bakkt cryptocurrency platform. Mastercard customers will be able to buy, sell and store digital assets.