ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Mastercard's head of crypto and blockchain business, Raj Dhamodharan, stated that the company has moved from the experimental phase to providing actual crypto solutions. Recently, Mastercard collaborated with compliance company Notabene to integrate its Crypto Credential system into the SafeTransact platform, allowing users to transfer crypto assets using email addresses instead of complex wallet addresses.Dhamodharan pointed out that Mastercard will focus on three areas in 2025: building on-chain and off-chain channels for cryptocurrencies, expanding Crypto Credential functionalities, and stablecoin business. The company currently supports financial institutions in using stablecoins for transaction settlements and plans to announce more partnerships and application scenarios this year. Regarding the trend of asset tokenization, he stated that once regulations clearly allow deposits to be represented on public chains, this field will see larger-scale development.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, global payment service giant Mastercard reports that 30% of its transactions will be tokenized by 2024; at the same time, Mastercard also recognizes the ability of stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies to disrupt traditional financial services.In documents submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company stated that it has made significant progress toward achieving its goal of an "innovative payment ecosystem," including transaction tokenization, creating solutions to unlock blockchain-based business models, and simplifying access to digital assets. Mastercard stated that it is collaborating with a range of cryptocurrency participants to enable consumers to purchase cryptocurrencies using credit cards and spend balances at merchants that accept its brand. The company also reported a net income of $28.2 billion for 2024, a 12% increase from the previous year.Mastercard acknowledges that stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies are becoming competitors in the payment industry. The company stated that digital currencies have the potential to "disrupt traditional financial markets" and may challenge its existing products. The company noted that due to the accessibility, immutability, and efficiency of digital assets, stablecoins and cryptocurrencies may become more popular as they are regulated.

ChainCatcher news, ARK Invest stated in the "Big Ideas 2025" report that stablecoins are one of the fastest-growing segments in the digital asset space. Despite experiencing a two-year bear market and a market cap decline of over 70%, the growth momentum of stablecoins remains unaffected.In 2024, the transaction volume is expected to reach $15.6 trillion, which is approximately 119% and 200% of the transaction volumes of Visa and Mastercard, respectively. The monthly transaction count for stablecoins reaches 110 million, accounting for only 0.41% and 0.72% of the transaction counts processed by Visa and Mastercard. In other words, the average transaction amount for stablecoins is significantly higher than that of Visa and Mastercard.

ChainCatcher message, Floki announced that its debit card is officially launched, allowing users to use cryptocurrency assets at merchants worldwide that accept VISA or MasterCard. The Floki debit card is not applicable to countries and regions subject to OFAC sanctions as restricted by the issuing bank or MasterCard.

ChainCatcher news, according to Infinite Market Cap data, as the price of Ethereum breaks through $4000, its market capitalization rises to $486.26 billion, with a 24H increase of 3.73%. Currently, Ethereum's market capitalization has surpassed Mastercard and Tencent, ranking 27th in the global asset market capitalization.

ChainCatcher news, the Nigerian cryptocurrency exchange platform Bitmama has temporarily suspended its virtual Mastercard service. This move follows a trend of challenges faced by African fintech companies regarding card services, including exchange rate fluctuations, chargeback fraud, and insufficient funds. Some fintech companies like Bitmama and Chipper Cash continue to offer alternative card services.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, payment giant Mastercard (MA) has integrated its blockchain-based tokenized asset transfer system Multi-Token Network (MTN) with JPMorgan's recently renamed digital asset business Kinexys (formerly known as Onyx). This collaboration aims to enhance B2B cross-border payments, "providing greater transparency and faster settlement speeds while reducing time zone friction."Tokenized foreign exchange is an attractive subset of the real-world asset trend based on blockchain, which has been firmly embraced by traditional finance as it offers an almost real-time, always-online way to avoid cross-border gaps and pain points. The two companies stated in a joint announcement that by integrating Mastercard MTN with Kinexys digital payment connectivity, MTN and Kinexys' mutual clients will be able to settle B2B transactions through a single API.

ChainCatcher news, according to Hong Kong media Xinbao, Standard Chartered Hong Kong, BlackRock, and Mastercard will join hands to participate in the second phase pilot program of the "Digital Hong Kong Dollar" launched by the Monetary Authority. The newly formed tripartite alliance will explore tokenized investment use cases in an end-to-end manner. This potential solution will allow investors to purchase tokenized assets and conduct transaction settlements directly through the digital Hong Kong dollar or tokenized deposits with relevant asset managers.Libeara, nurtured by SC Ventures under Standard Chartered Group, will collaborate with Standard Chartered Hong Kong and BlackRock to provide a platform, jointly promoting the potential issuance of tokenized assets through Mastercard's multi-token network.

According to ChainCatcher news, the Bank for International Settlements has partnered with some of the world's largest banks and credit card companies to launch a blockchain-based project aimed at fundamentally reforming global cross-border payments. JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, UBS Group, as well as Visa Inc. and Mastercard have all joined the Agora project, which started in May. The complete list of private sector participants includes 41 companies that will collaborate with seven central banks from regions such as the United States, the Eurozone, Japan, and the United Kingdom.The Bank for International Settlements is exploring the creation of an international platform through Agora (which means market in Greek), where tokenized assets can be bought and sold using central bank-supported digital currencies issued by central banks that issue the world's most important reserve currencies. On this unified ledger, investors can conduct cross-border transactions using central bank money that is virtually risk-free. Currently, the only relatively safe currency is cash, which does not exist in digital form.

ChainCatcher news, the crypto payment solution provider Alchemy Pay has officially announced support for BNB Chain and its ecosystem.Alchemy Pay's On & Off-Ramp now supports BNB on the BNB Chain as well as stablecoins like USDC and USDT. By leveraging Alchemy Pay's extensive network, which covers over 300 fiat payment channels in 173 countries/regions and supports more than 50 fiat currencies, including traditional payment methods like Visa and Mastercard, local mobile wallets, and domestic bank transfers, global users can buy and sell the aforementioned tokens on the BNB Chain using their preferred payment methods, significantly enhancing the accessibility and influence of BNB Chain.

ChainCatcher news, payment giant Mastercard has partnered with European crypto payment infrastructure provider Mercuryo to launch a debit card priced in euros. This card allows users to spend cryptocurrencies stored in non-custodial wallets directly. The service will charge certain fees, including a €1.6 card issuance fee, a €1 monthly maintenance fee, and a 0.95% withdrawal fee charged by Mercuryo.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Singapore United Morning Post, Mastercard is planning to eliminate traditional credit card numbers and adopt "authentication technology" (Tokenization) to combat online fraud. This technology replaces sensitive data such as credit card numbers with randomly generated numerical sequences (tokens) to reduce the risk of data breaches. Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach stated that the company will expand the use of this technology and replace traditional passwords with biometric identification (such as fingerprints or facial scans). This measure is in response to the increasingly serious problem of online payment fraud, which is expected to exceed $91 billion by 2028.Miebach pointed out that the conventional thinking in the past was to protect data and transactions with passwords to ensure security; however, this approach has gradually become a security vulnerability. But "authentication technology" replaces sensitive information with "tokens," making it impossible to decipher real information even if the data is illegally accessed by hackers. Furthermore, "authentication technology" also helps businesses comply with data protection regulations, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Mastercard stated that by the end of this century, all e-commerce transactions in Europe are expected to be replaced by "tokens."

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, MetaMask has announced a partnership with payment giant Mastercard and crypto payment expert Baanx to launch a blockchain debit card. This debit card allows MetaMask users to make purchases directly from their self-custodied crypto wallets.The card is expected to be fully launched later this year, initially piloted among a small number of users in the EU and the UK. Users can spend assets held in USDC, USDT, and wETH on the Linea network.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, cryptocurrency wallet provider Argent is collaborating with Mastercard and blockchain startup Kulipa to launch a new crypto payment card. The agreement will utilize Starknet's zero-knowledge technology.Kulipa co-founder and CEO Axel Cateland stated, "We are proud to launch Argent as our first non-custodial wallet and to partner with Mastercard to continue contributing to the adoption of everyday crypto payments globally."The Kulipa branded card will convert Circle's USDC or Paxos branded stablecoins into fiat currency in the background, meaning merchants do not need to integrate crypto payment tools. The press release stated, "This process ensures that any Mastercard user and merchant globally can enjoy a seamless debit card payment experience, with on-chain settlement possible on almost any blockchain."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the Web3 settlement protocol Kima announced the completion of a $5 million financing round, with participation from Blockchange, Mastercard's FinSec Innovation Lab, and several angel investors.It is reported that Kima has established a settlement protocol that connects traditional financial services such as fiat bank accounts and credit cards with decentralized financial tools.

ChainCatcher news, the Axelar Foundation, along with traditional financial giants such as Citibank, Deutsche Bank, and Mastercard, has released a joint research report titled "Institutional Interoperability: How Financial Institutions Navigate a Multi-Chain World." The report primarily explores how to enhance the accessibility and liquidity of tokenized assets while ensuring flexibility, privacy, transparency, and scalability. Notably, Deutsche Bank recently announced a partnership with Interop Labs to use Axelar for interoperable blockchain projects.This report provides financial institutions with a roadmap for developing opportunities in tokenized assets, which will face a range of complex public and private blockchains, as well as stringent requirements imposed by clients and regulations.Georgios Vlachos, board member of the Axelar Foundation and co-founder of Axelar, stated that tokenized assets must be designed with interoperability in mind, connecting off-chain ledger assets with on-chain assets. The key is how we can facilitate potentially thousands of connections between on-chain and off-chain ledgers in a secure, scalable, and open manner.

ChainCatcher news, Mastercard will restore cryptocurrency payment and deposit services for Binance, while withdrawal services have not yet been restored but are expected to resume later.It is reported that the Binance-branded Visa card has also resumed functionality on the exchange.