Mastercard welcomes 5 new members to #Blockchain accelerator
Mastercard (NASDAQ: MA) has recently announced an expansion of its startup incubator program to encompass blockchain startups, with French card issuer Kulipa and UK-based blockchain infrastructure startup Parfin among the initial participants.
Since its inception in 2014, Mastercard's Start Path program has supported over 400 startups from 50 countries, with these companies collectively raising over $15 billion post-graduation.
The company's decision to include startups developing decentralized solutions reflects its commitment to embracing emerging trends. Under the Start Path Blockchain and Digital Assets Program, Mastercard aims to provide a four-month program to assist the first batch of five startups in expanding their use cases and enhancing user experiences.
By connecting these startups with fintech and payments experts, Mastercard intends to explore how their blockchain solutions can address real-world challenges beyond their primary target markets.
Sabrina Tharani, Mastercard’s SVP for Global Fintech
Programs, expressed the company's enthusiasm for supporting blockchain and digital assets innovation through the Start Path program, noting the increasing mainstream adoption of digital assets.
Among the five selected startups is Kulipa, a French company offering a crypto payment card for non-custodial wallets integrated with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Axel Cateland, the founder, sees this opportunity as a way to enhance financial inclusion through global stablecoin payments.
Other participants include Parfin (UK), Triangle (US), Venly (Belgium), and Peaq (Singapore). These startups offer diverse blockchain solutions for mainstream financial integration, carbon credit markets, and #Web3 platform development.
Mastercard's blockchain commitment expands beyond its startup program. Collaborating with Kima, the company developed a "DeFi credit card" and engaged in blockchain tokenization projects with mainstream players like #JPMorgan and Citigroup.
Source - coingeek.com
