Digital Currencies

It’s your money. It’s your choice what to do with it.

That has always been at the heart of our business – helping people pay safely, securely and simply, however they choose to. That’s why we’ve been exploring and innovating with digital currencies for nearly a decade. Mastercard has been investing in blockchain technology patents since at least as early as 2015. Many of the company’s patent filings are specifically directed to technologies that support digital currencies. As one of the top blockchain patent filers in the financial services industry, we’ve got a worldwide blockchain patent portfolio.

In the last year, we’ve seen just how critical digital payments are to keep the global economy going and growing, and how enthusiastically people and businesses have embraced them. Digital currencies increasingly show potential to become a part of everyday commerce, and we are committed to supporting the industry to realize the benefits of this potential to support the future of payments. The future is already here, and we’re ready for it.

Central Bank Digital Currencies

In an always-on world, money needs to keep pace. Some governments that want to modernize their outdated payments infrastructure are looking to their central banks to issue their own digital currencies, known as CBDCs. These are digital and equivalent representations of physical currency but easier to handle, less vulnerable to fraud and, as connectivity increases and mobile devices proliferate, a powerful way to include more people in the digital economy.

That’s why we’ve made it our business to work with central banks, financial institutions and others to help shape, design and deploy CBDCs to best ensure security, safety and peace of mind.

Explainer

What are CBDCs? Your essential guide

Blog

Countries are diving into digital currencies. Here are 5 choices they need to make.

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The Bahamas is ‘disaster-proofing’ payments with its first-ever digital currency

Mastercard and Island Pay launch world’s first central bank digital currency-linked card

Cryptocurrencies

As digital acceleration continues, so does the rise of privately-issued digital currencies – stablecoins, which are often backed by deposits at a commercial bank, and floating crypto assets, which have been highly volatile and more speculative. Our robust crypto card program lets cardholders convert their crypto holdings into a fiat currency so the cards can be used wherever Mastercard is accepted, and we are readying our network to support select native cryptocurrencies – but only the stablecoins that meet the highest standards of consumer protections and regulatory compliance. This principled approach will ensure that payments innovation safeguards all parties while giving people the opportunity to move money how they want, when they want.