Explore the latest news, stories and media resources from Mastercard

One in five (22%) sole traders, micro and small businesses in the UK say they ‘dread’ the prospect of doing their taxes, new research from the Mastercard Strive Business Barometer finds.

Temenos, the cloud banking platform, today announced a collaboration with Mastercard, a leading global technology company in the payments industry, that will help banks to accelerate their introduction of Request to Pay services in the UK.

NatWest is set to be the first UK high street bank to enter the buy now, pay later market, with a proposition that gives customers the convenience to make a purchase almost anywhere that accepts Mastercard.

Mastercard launches a new business-to-business (B2B) payment solution in the UK - Mastercard Track Card to Account Transfer –to offer improved payment options and working capital benefits for businesses.

New research with small business owners from Mastercard has found that female entrepreneurs felt the impact of the pandemic more acutely than their male counterparts, but despite this are more optimistic about the future, provided they have the right digital tools to help their business grow.

Mastercard ranked in Stonewall list of Top 100 Employers for LGBTQ+ people and received a Gold Award for commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion

HELPFUL and Mastercard partner with the Scottish Grocer’s Federation to trial micropayments for Scotland’s single-use drinks containers Deposit Return Scheme

Mastercard, proud partner of the BRITs for more than two decades, has collaborated with Berklee College of Music’s Professor, Dr. Joe Bennett to reveal what makes music so special.

In-store retail sales rivalled pre-pandemic shopping in the UK, up 13.7% y-o-y, as consumers return to stores for holiday shopping

UK retailers have enjoyed a strong start to the festive season as new insights from Mastercard SpendingPulse show UK retail sales* increased 9% year-on-year between 1st November and 10th December.

Shifts in household savings, economic growth and consumer spending on “stuff” vs. “experiences” are in focus as businesses continue to move digital

Mastercard survey reveals what Brits really think of Secret Santa gifting

Retailing during this year’s festive season is expected to bounce back with 8% YOY growth according to Mastercard SpendingPulse

Green fintech Tred launches its new Mastercard green debit card and accompanying app during COP26

Mastercard launches Thrive Street, a month-long event to support small business owners from the Northeast of the UK.

Mastercard’s Center for Inclusive Growth forms the Strive Learning Network, a coalition of individuals and organisations to work together to support small businesses.

Pace of small business creation faster in the UK than anywhere else globally, growing 101% year-on-year according to Mastercard.

Mastercard launches Strive UK, an initiative that will empower 650,000 British micro and small enterprises (MSEs) to thrive in the digital economy over the next three years and beyond.

Mastercard partners with iconic East London barbershop SliderCuts to offer free money and tech advice for those most in need of financial support following the pandemic, with a complimentary haircut included.

Mastercard and NatWest Group today announced a further expansion of their partnership bringing faster, secure online payments with Pay by Bank app (PbBa) to its mobile banking app users across the NatWest Group brands: NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank and Coutts.

Together with its partners ekko and HELPFUL, Mastercard has pledged to donate and plant 75,000 trees in support of the Round Britain Climate Challenge, the first ever circumnavigation attempt of mainland Britain with an electric paramotor.

Today, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth launches the UK Inclusive Growth Score, which uses 21 different metrics from three pillars - place, economy, and community - to showcase the social and economic profile of a postcode sector and the potential it may hold.

According to Mastercard SpendingPulse™ UK retail sales are expected to grow 12% during the back-to-school period compared to the same time pre-pandemic in 2019

Today the award-winning global startup engagement program Mastercard Start Path welcomes 11 fintech companies into its network including UK Fintech Osper.

Lloyds Bank’s PayFrom Bank, enabled by Mastercard’s Open Banking Merchant Payment Solution, lets consumers make payments on an organisation’s website directly from their bank account, without having to enter any payment details.

The new cloud native PayPort+ technology – powered by Vocalink and Form3 - offers enhanced performance, ease of integration, and seamless connection into the UK’s Faster Payments network

New research on sustainability, commissioned by Mastercard, reveals a marked increase in consumer passion for the environment as a result of COVID-19 with 85% of the globe willing to take personal action to combat environmental and sustainability issues in 2021.

Sentimental shoppers are investing more than ever before around Valentine’s Day according to the annual Mastercard Love Index which reveals spending has increased 138 per cent over the past decade. However, this year home is where the heart is as couples are planning to spend the day — and their money — differently.

Mastercard and NatWest Group today announced an expansion of their payments partnership by agreeing to convert all the Banking Group’s retail and business debit cards to Mastercard. The agreement includes all NatWest Group brands: NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank and Coutts, totalling 16 million cards.

Mastercard and women’s football is a long lasting story of more than 25 years as well as the relationship that has been built around two European clubs, Arsenal Women and Olympique Lyonnais in 2019, as well as with several ambassadors from France (Ada Hegerberg, Kadeisha Buchanan, Saki Kumagai, and Wendie Renard) but also across the channel (Alex Scott, Sam Kerr, Pernille Harder). Mastercard’s ambition is to contribute to the development of women’s football around the world, to support equality and to inspire fans and football enthusiasts.

‘Tis the season to be thoughtful, as new Mastercard research reveals that the average festive shopper is putting more time and effort into gifts for loved ones this Christmas – with three quarters (77 per cent) of Europe saying the year that was has reminded them what is important in life and 65 per cent saying they are being more thoughtful this Christmas.

Leading European payments fintech Contis today announced its partnership with Mastercard as a principal issuing member. Through this partnership, Contis delivers a comprehensive end-to-end Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform including direct access to both of the world’s leading global payments networks, accepted by millions of merchants worldwide.

TransferGo and Mastercard today have announced a partnership that enables customers across 20 European countries to make international money transfers from any payment card or bank account directly to a Mastercard debit or credit card.

Fintech company ZEN in cooperation with Mastercard have launched a suite of digital finance solutions which will enable consumers, freelancers and entrepreneurs to effortlessly manage their financials and cash flow, as well as pay safely and conveniently both online and in-store with contactless payment card.

Today, SumUp and Mastercard are announcing their new payment services tailored for Ford commercial vehicles in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. With this new solution, small business owners that typically use commercial vehicles – including food trucks, beverage suppliers, mobile florists and other tradespeople – can accept card payments directly from their vehicles.

Today, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, and Bayes Impact announced the creation and testing of an innovative and scalable digital lifelong learning program that will deliver career coaching opportunities to underserved workers.

Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs demands innovative, gender-specific support for women throughout pandemic recovery.

The rapid digitalisation of lives under lockdown has accelerated the continued interest in digital banking solutions and apps across Europe, with signs of new consumer interests emerging, according to Mastercard’s 2020 European Evolution of Banking study.

Starting today, Mastercard will extend the Google Pay service to cardholders across Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, and Romania together with its issuing partners.

Mastercard and Sokin today announce a new partnership as Sokin prepares for the roll-out of its UK and European fixed-price subscription service. The partnership is founded on Sokin delivering its instant payment services with Mastercard’s trusted and secure digital banking solutions and card services.

Following successful launches in the US and Singapore, Mastercard and PayPal are extending their Instant Transfer service to Europe. The service is now available in Bulgaria, Bosnia, Germany, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and UK. In markets where this alternative way to cash out balances is live, it is already seeing strong demand from PayPal customers.

Mastercard has supported Nickel since its launch in the French market and is now Nickel’s exclusive partner in Europe with the goal of accelerating the neo-bank’s growth in France and extending its presence to 8 European countries by 2024 starting with Spain in September 2020.

The current pandemic has underscored how interconnected our world has become – and that the health and well-being of our planet is deeply linked to that of our people. As wildfires ravage many parts of the world, from the US west coast to Brazil and Australia, and we experience some of the most extreme weather events on record, we must urgently invest in innovative ways to inspire collective action to address climate change.

Mastercard today announced the renewal of the partnership with the UEFA Champions League for the 2021-24 cycle, continuing its long-running relationship which began in 1994. The agreement also includes sponsorship rights for the UEFA Super Cup in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Mastercard’s signature science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program, Girls4Tech™, today reached its initial goal of educating one million girls. The program has a new and inspiring ambition to reach five million girls by 2025.

As people reconnect with their local communities they are rediscovering the huge number of great, varied and unique small businesses in their local communities and neighborhoods.

PayPal Business Debit Mastercard® Rewards Small Businesses with Unlimited Cash Back on Eligible Spending and Gives Business Owners Instant Access to their PayPal Funds Online and In Stores where Mastercard is accepted.

From September 16, users of the Bibus public transport network in Brest Métropole will be able to pay for their trips on buses, trams and cable cars (Multimodal function) using their contactless payment card, regardless of what bank they are with. The contactless payment card now serves as the ticket.

Mastercard and Handpoint signed a partnership to promote card payment solutions amongst thousands of European SMEs. The partnership’s suite of offering enables companies to tailor the tools to their size and need.

Demi Moore, Nadine Labaki, Gia Coppola, Wim Wenders, Luca Guadagnino, Sam Rockwell and Claire Denis were the amazing protagonists of the digital conversation series organized by Mastercard to celebrate the 77th Venice International Film Festival

Academy Award® winner Sam Rockwell and acclaimed director Claire Denis are the next two protagonists in the digital conversation series organized by Mastercard to celebrate the 77th Venice International Film Festival.

The rising talent Gia Coppola, the master Wim Wenders and the visionary director Luca Guadagnino, are the next three protagonists in the digital conversation series organized by Mastercard to celebrate the 77th Venice International Film Festival.

Mastercard today announced its extended commitment to the Olympique Lyonnais (OL) women’s team by becoming Official Shirt Sponsor for domestic games in the season starting September 2020. The company will also be using their Priceless platform to create memorable moments for fans in a time where typical fandom activities, like attending live games, are less likely.

The Lebanese director, Academy Award nominee in 2019 for Best Foreign Film with her feature film Capharnaüm, will be the protagonist of a digital conversation organized by Mastercard to celebrate 77th Venice International Film Festival.

Golden Globe nominee Demi Moore, is the first protagonist of the digital conversation series organized by Mastercard to celebrate the 77th Venice International Film Festival

Join Demi Moore, Penélope Cruz, Gia Coppola and Wim Wenders for an exciting digital conversation series to celebrate the 77th Venice International Film Festival.

Everest aims to support SMEs and startups with its innovative technology allowing fast and easy access to corporate cards and the possibility to manage expenses efficiently online.

Mastercard has created the world’s biggest digital wave through social media achieving over 1 billion views amongst football fans, celebrities and sporting heroes globally.

Netcetera is Mastercard’s exclusive 3-D Secure testing partner to help retailers and other businesses ensure they are ready to comply with PSD2. Mastercard and Netcetera, the market leader for 3DS and EMVCo associate, are supporting merchants to improve their transactions and conversion rates. This is the first time that merchants are able to run tests in their live online shops.

The UEFA Foundation for Children and Mastercard have been offering youngsters suffering from life-threatening illnesses the chance to meet UEFA Champions League stars virtually as they enter the stadium.

To celebrate the return of UEFA Champions League, Mastercard releases an exclusive interview with professional footballer, Kadeisha Buchanan, on priceless.com, to bring fans closer to the game and their favourite football legends.

Today, Mastercard releases an exclusive interview with football legend Fernando Torres on priceless.com. He looks back at his UEFA Champions League memories, as he explores his thoughts on how a ball can start something Priceless.

Alex Scott MBE, former professional footballer, pundit and presenter provides an exclusive interview on priceless.com with Mastercard, to celebrate UEFA Champions League and to bring fans closer to their passions.

To celebrate the return of UEFA Champions League, Mastercard speaks exclusively with Ada Hegerberg on priceless.com. Hegerberg takes a look back through the Priceless® moments that have made up her career.

To celebrate the return of UEFA Champions League, Mastercard releases exclusive interviews on priceless.com with football legends. The interviews delve into how football has impacted not only their careers, but their lives and gives fans insight into how a ball can Start Something Priceless.

Mastercard has today successfully enrolled to the Pay.UK Framework for its Request to Pay solution in the UK. Request to Pay is part of Mastercard’s global portfolio of Bill Pay applications enabling people to view and pay their bills instantly, and with flexibility, from their bank accounts.

Mastercard encourages football fans to celebrate the return of UEFA Champions League by creating the world’s biggest digital wave.

Mastercard and ANNA Money today announced an extended partnership that will support ANNA’s customers with value-added services.

Market Trends is an online tool featuring up-to-date marketplace, industry and consumer insights.

Mastercard is bringing its real identity payment cards to Europe in support of trans and non-binary communities.

E-commerce has reached new heights around the world, as more consumers are going online to make secure, touch-free purchases across various merchants and platforms. Now, it’s more important than ever that the online checkout experience is seamless and consistent across all types of digital channels and cards.

Butchers, bakers and green grocers are amongst those who have had the biggest bounce since lockdown, with the mini boom expected to continue according to research by Mastercard.

Mastercard announces three key financial firms as the latest companies to start using Mastercard Open Banking Protect, safeguarding organisations who manage customer accounts against compromised or unauthorised third-party providers (TPPs).

Study shows consumers worldwide opting for touch-free, secure and seamless ways to pay.

Merchants across the globe increasingly adopt tokenization, eliminating the need to manually update card credentials and increasing peace of mind at checkout.

Lanistar and Mastercard have announced a new partnership as the fintech challenger prepares to launch its new banking alternative product later this year.

Mastercard and licensed e-money institution, EedenBull, have today announced an extension of their strategic partnership in the European Economic Area. Mastercard’s ongoing support will enable the continued growth of EedenBull’s operations in Oslo and Edinburgh, and its innovative spend management platform Q Business®.

New platform enables SMEs to simplify how they build a trusted value chain, conduct secure payments, manage cash flows and simplify back office functions.

Mastercard launches Fintech Express in Europe, a programme designed to facilitate emerging fintechs’ launch and expansion. Leveraging the power of partnerships and Mastercard’s expertise, technology, and global network, startups will now be able to focus on innovation that drives the digital economy.

As Mastercard reveal that 78 per cent of all transactions across Europe are now contactless, new European research released today identifies consumer habits and viewpoints that indicates this is a consumer change that will stand the test of time.

Online shopping has outstripped all other forms of spending over the past month, with more than half of European shoppers (57 per cent) saying they are shopping online more than ever and record numbers signing up to virtual experiences like home fitness classes, TV and film subscriptions and online learning during lockdown.

Mastercard today announced the appointment of Mark Barnett as President of its European business, based in Brussels. In this role Barnett will be responsible for the strategy, direction and overall success of all aspects of Mastercard’s business across the region.

“Business Unusual” is a complete Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and learning solution enabling micro & small companies to better manage and run their business by giving them a suite of tools that can be accessed via one single application.

Important new move builds on the phenomenal growth in use of contactless with Mastercard enabling businesses and retailers to implement limit increases quickly and efficiently to help people everywhere benefit from the fastest and simplest way to pay.

Important new move builds on the phenomenal growth in use of contactless with Mastercard enabling businesses and retailers to implement limit increases quickly and efficiently to help people everywhere benefit from the fastest and simplest way to pay.

Mastercard and bunq announce today the expansion of their partnership to accelerate the growth of bunq’s card offerings in Europe. Mastercard is leveraging its international network, helping to expand the bunq Metal Card into 30 European countries1. bunq Metal Card, a metal Mastercard, builds a greener planet by planting a tree for every 100 Euros spent.

The pilot project to provide MSMEs with a mobile solution to accept contactless payments will span across the United Kingdom, Germany, Bulgaria and Romania.

Mastercard partnership to support ambitious European growth plans for Skrill and NETELLER prepaid cards.

On the first day of the WOW - Women of the World Festival in London, Mastercard announces a new partnership with The WOW Foundation.  WOW is a global movement celebrating women and girls, taking a frank look at the obstacles they face. Festivals take place year-round across the world.

The new Smile account, serviced with a Debit Mastercard, will enable the underbanked workers to deposit their income securely and pay or transfer domestically and internationally in 210 countries and territories.

The partnership aims to boost the adoption of card payment technology by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), helping them reach more customers and grow their business.

Mastercard announces the expansion of its partnership with Rakuten Viber, to offer Moneytou, a peer to peer (p2p) payment service available within the Viber messaging app, which has over one billion users around the world. Following Moneytou’s launch in Hungary and Ukraine last year, the service is now available to users in Romania, with plans to extend to additional European countries.

Mastercard’s European Cyber Resilience Centre will bring together partners and industry bodies to lead the way to enterprise resiliency.

A new study of card transactions from over 53 countries around the world has revealed that the ‘love economy’ is growing five times as fast as the global economy with Valentine’s Day spend up 17 per cent since 2017.

Winter sports experts discuss technology, sustainability and gender parity in sports ahead of the legendary Hahnenkamm Races 2020.

Mastercard partners with French government in accelerating the digitization of the French economy.

The German IoT/Fintech start-up ryd closes a double-digit million Euro funding round that will see them accelerate their rollout across Europe. Both, global technology company Mastercard and a Southern German premium car manufacturer, are among the strategic investors looking to digitise payment on the petrol forecourt.

Mastercard, the partner of choice for fintechs in Europe, is announcing its partnership of CleverCards and EML to cement their position as the leading facilitator of PayTech innovation in Europe.

Swiss prepaid card issuer is now offering consumers the ability to make secure international payment transfers via an app, to 18 countries. People will be able to receive their money to bank accounts, digital wallets, eligible Mastercard cards, and soon, cash pick-up points.

The research from Mastercard reveals that the average European will spend €322 travelling home, and start saving for their festive homecoming two months before Christmas.

The use of passive wearable devices for payments is continuing to take off in Europe, as consumers quickly and easily integrate this relatively new payment method into their daily lives. This year’s wearable transaction figures, in comparision to 2018, showed an eightfold increase. This trend has been widely adopted over Europe as payment-enabled wearables are already available in 26 EU countries, offering over 30 different devices.

Targeting the small, everyday purchase moments and how these can bring us together, Mastercard has created an integrated campaign to reframe perceptions amongst a new generation of cardholders by showcasing its debit offering.

Following the success of its Instant Transfer feature in the U.S., PayPal and Mastercard recently extended the service to Mastercard cardholders in Singapore and a number of European countries.

To mark Universal Children’s Day, Revolut and Mastercard have joined forces to raise money that will support Save the Children’s work to rebuild and resource four schools in Mozambique destroyed by Cyclone Idai.

Helsinki is determined to be the most functional city in the world by making the best use of digitalization. In pursuing this goal, Helsinki seeks to create the best conditions possible for urban life, for its residents and visitors. The city’s strategic intent is to do things a little bit better day by day, in order to make life in Helsinki easier and more pleasant. To do this, Helsinki will have to become a data-driven city.

The Partnership was set up by the Cabinet Office and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2017, to find innovative ways to solve the most pressing social and economic problems facing the UK. It is currently focused on three key social and economic challenges: transition to work for young people, mental health, and financial inclusion and capability.

Soon Rakuten Viber users will be able to easily send money to each other using a brand new feature available in the Viber mobile app. The new service, named “Moneytou”, has been developed in Hungary and will initially operate with cards issued in Hungary, but with plans for it to be rolled out in other markets as well as on a global scale. The new feature, which leverages Mastercard’s Send technology that is a result of an exceptional cooperation of Rakuten Viber and Mastercard allows users to send and receive money immediately through the app in a secure, fast and easy way.

Today, Mastercard and Rabobank announced a strategic partnership to give one million farmers in emerging markets access to a digital platform that makes it easier for them to sell their produce for a fair price. The platform builds on the current Mastercard Farmer Network and will be enriched by Rabobank’s expertise and reach in the food and agricultural sectors across Europe, Africa and Asia.

Société Générale and Mastercard have partnered to launch a special edition League of Legends® Card, the first payment card in France designed for gaming fans and offering them a number of exclusive advantages.

The research from Mastercard found that nearly two in three (58 per cent) start shopping early to spread the cost of Christmas, with the increasing popularity of shopping occasions like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Prime Day helping to make Christmas spending come early.

Today, Mastercard announces the introduction of a new initiative to increase the nation’s access to cash. By leveraging our technology, local shops and businesses who choose to offer cashback in conjunction with a purchase, will from April 2020 earn a fee every time they dispense cash to a shopper paying with a Mastercard debit card.

Great cinema has the power to drive different perspectives, triggering a myriad of emotions and influencing our lives from the moment the film begins. Great filmmakers create a lasting impact on the viewer, which remain far beyond the film itself; igniting conversations, inspiring memorable moments and starting new movements. Through the creative lens of cinema, people can enjoy and experience new journeys and can see the world through a completely different lens.

Mastercard, official sponsor of the Venice International Film Festival for the third year in a row, is pleased to unveil an exclusive event to ignite a unique discussion among four of the most influential and inspirational figures in contemporary cinema.

Mastercard (NYSE: MA) today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the majority of the Corporate Services businesses of Nets, a leading European PayTech company, for €2.85 billion (approximately US $3.19 billion).

Mastercard and SumUp today announced a new partnership that will increase the number of electronic payment acceptance locations across 27 European countries.  Over the next five years, Mastercard and SumUp will bring card acceptance to several million micro, small and medium-sized companies (MSMEs) across Europe.

Mastercard today announces a new partnership with Nationwide as it prepares to launch a new business banking service targeting Britain’s 5.6 million small businesses.

In partnership with The R&A, Mastercard today announced that it will become a partner of the AIG Women’s British Open for the next three years, starting with this year’s competition at Woburn Golf Club (August 1-4, 2019).

Hertz Europe Ltd, part of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., has announced that customers of Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty can now rent a car using a valid debit card in a host of countries across Europe.  The new, easy payment option gives customers with a Debit Mastercard or other recognised debit cards access to standard car and van rentals at key European locations, opening up the rental market for new users in time for the summer holiday season.

PayPal has launched its first UK business debit Mastercard, offering its business customers instant, worldwide access to their PayPal funds for online and high street business purchases and unlimited cash back on their spending.

Mastercard, in cooperation with its partners Banca Transilvania, Boon, Edenred, J&T, mBank, Monese, N26, Revolut, Slovenská sporiteľňa, Unicredit Bank,  today brings its customers Apple Pay, which is transforming mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay. With Apple Pay on iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac, customers can make fast and convenient purchases in stores, in apps and on websites.

Treezor, the French fintech, which was acquired by Société Générale Group in 2019, is the market leader of the banking-as-a-service (BaaS) model, a 100% API platform, with over 500,000 cards issued and over 5bn euros of cash flow since its inception.

Mastercard has implemented its B2B commercial solution for the first time in Turkey with Coca-Cola Icecek. Together with the pilot in Izmir, not only the sales representatives can receive orders through their connected devices but also around 450 thousand vendors, groceries, markets and supermarkets in Turkey, will be able to complete their payments easily with Masterpass.

Mastercard today unveiled its new suite of Open Banking Solutions™, market-leading applications and services to underpin, enable and safeguard greater choice of financial services across Europe.

BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Mastercard are bringing together their areas of expertise to launch the Cpay card that has replaced the former Cetelem card in France since mid-March 2019. This new Mastercard card is linked to a revolving credit and offers multiple payments options built by Cetelem, the commercial brand of BNP Paribas Personal Finance, N°1 in retail financing in France and in Europe. The Cpay card is both a universal Mastercard card and a privative Aurore card.

Many household names such as Monzo, N26, Starling, Revolut, Transferwise are partners of Mastercard; and some of our partners have benefitted from our initiatives, namely Accelerate and Start Path. In order to evolve even more businesses, the next iteration of Accelerate has been developed. Effective as of June 2019, three new advancements will be included to broaden and deepen engagement with the payment FinTech community, including the next generation of digital banks.

Never before has the importance of technology been greater in financial services. Digital banking solutions and apps have made their way into everyday life across Europe. A new study across 11 markets commissioned by Mastercard* reveals that six out of seven people use digital banking solutions at least once a month, 38 percent do so on a weekly or even daily basis. 63% use mobile banking apps from traditional banks and one in five (20%) already from digital-only banks.

It’s official: Europe has a population full of Good Listeners, with new research revealing that the average person listens to two hours and nine minutes of music, podcasts and audiobooks each day – totaling a massive 32 days a year.

Being a passionate football fan in the stands is almost as draining as being a player, according to 91% of supporters in Turkey, who say watching and celebrating throughout a game is just as emotionally exhausting as playing.

Mastercard, one of the world’s most active sponsors of major sporting events, today announced it is partnering with two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. It is the first time Mastercard has added a current number one tennis player to its roster of global ambassadors.

Mastercard, one of the world’s most active sponsors of major sporting events, is strengthening its commitment to women’s football. The move sends a powerful signal for gender equality in sports and demonstrates a continued focus on gender balanced marketing. Mastercard has been a long-standing advocate of the importance of diversity, inclusion and partnering to promote good governance and integrity in sport.

Mastercard has been an Official Partner of the Festival de Cannes, one of the world’s most prestigious celebrations of film, for the past three years. To celebrate this partnership and to inspire fans and future filmmakers to see “Life Through a Different Lens”, Mastercard organised an exclusive conversation with three of the most influential and inspirational personalities in cinema today: Xavier Dolan, Werner Herzog and Julianne Moore.

Don’t miss the Mastercard booth from Monday 3rd June to Wednesday 5th June in The Rai in Amsterdam for this year’s Money 20/20 Europe (Booth location: Main Hall, B50).  We will have interactive demos that help show you more about how Mastercard’s innovative products and services are building trusted life connections to help people get from ‘to do’, to ‘done’ in a way that gives them freedom of choice, ultimate ease and total peace of mind.

New findings today show that football stadiums across Europe are already providing a number of tangible benefits including a huge boost of investment to cities. On average a new stadium pumps €585m into the surrounding community including improved infrastructure and increased employment.

Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are two of the hottest technology fields today, with job opportunities continuing to grow across both. However, worldwide, women make up less than 20 percent of the professionals in these high-tech jobs, and only one in 20 girls opts for a STEM-based career.

A new report from Mastercard confirms the power of mobile technology to improve financial inclusion. The research shows that 15 countries account for over 60% of the global unbanked population, where 607 million people have a mobile phone, but do not yet have a bank account. Mobile technology could therefore provide them with immediate access to the benefits of financial inclusion.

Today, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Mastercard and the Cardsmobile Russian technology company presented a universal tokenization platform powered by the Mastercard Digital Enablement Service (MDES). The new platform provides issuers worldwide with a service for adding existing Mastercard cards and issuing new ones to smartphones and wearables that support contactless payment technology – key chains, smart jewelry, car keys, watches and other devices.

Mastercard, a leading technology company in the global payments industry, has signed a global Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Angaza, a leader in last-mile distribution technology, which will see the two companies partner to rollout an efficient digital payment solution that increases access to affordable necessities, like solar home systems and water pumps, for people and businesses in emerging markets across the globe.

Underlining its continuing commitment to innovation, Mastercard, a leading technology company in the global payments industry, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), to examine how the company’s pioneering NuDetect solution can deliver safer, more seamless payment experiences for smartphone users across the Middle East and Africa.

Today, MegaFon and Mastercard combine efforts to make financial services even more accessible, convenient and native for smartphone users. Partners signed the Memorandum of cooperation on the development of mobile financial services for subscribers and presented the Credit via Mobile service during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Mastercard Digital Enablement Service (MDES) will ensure the safety and security of the payments.

As Mobile World Congress 2019 gets under way, Mastercard and The Space launch together The Space Cinema, a new app that offers cinema lovers a simpler and tailored way to go to the movies using their smartphone, without worrying about queues at the ticket office.

TRIWA and Fidesmo launch “Tapster” – a wearable in which the user connect it’s Mastercard for contactless payments. Stjärnurmakarna will be the first reseller of Tapster, which at first will be sold in a limited beta version for early-bird consumers.

Doconomy and Mastercard announce their joint effort to combat climate change by enabling DO – a free and easy-to-use mobile banking service that lets users track, understand and reduce their CO2 footprints through carbon offsetting. The launch of DO sets a new standard for purpose-driven payment services and is a major step in Mastercard’s commitment to drive innovation for a sustainable future.

Want to grab that purchase and go? You’re not alone. Today more than ever, people are living an increasingly digital – and mobile – life and they expect their ability to pay for their needs and wants to match that same “always on” mindset, according to social media conversations identified in the 2019 edition of the Mastercard Digital Payments Study.

As the technology that powers wearables gets smarter, fashion brands are driving the next evolution of the wearable market. Currently one in five adults wears a smart watch or fitness strap and by 2020, the wearable tech market will be worth 30 billion euros globally – proving the market is one to watch.

Ever heard the saying spontaneity is sexy? Well it appears that shoppers are taking this notion to heart as more and more people are leaving their romantic gift purchasing until the very last minute!

Setting a new tempo for brand expression, Mastercard debuts its sonic brand identity, a comprehensive sound architecture that signifies the latest advancement for the brand. Wherever consumers engage with Mastercard across the globe – be it physical, digital or voice environments - the distinct and memorable Mastercard melody will provide simple, seamless familiarity. The news comes on the heels of the company’s recent transition to a symbol brand and is part of its continued brand transformation.