Why is Mastercard Uniting 85 Crypto Partners?

Mastercard has announced Crypto Partner Programme in hopes that the initiative will build “meaningful dialogue” and collaboration in the crypto community. 

Mastercard believes that collaboration is the “next phase of on-chain payments” as digital assets continue to become a crutch for real-world needs. 

Citing behind-the-scenes use cases, Mastercard claims that digital assets are shifting into a forward-first position for practical needs such as cross-border remittances and B2B transfers. 

Raj Dhamodharan, Executive Vice President, Digital Asset Blockchain Products & Partnerships and Sherri Haymond, Executive Vice President, Digital Commercialisation at Mastercard, explain in an announcement how the payments behemoth is building a bridge between existing infrastructure and future innovation. 

How popular is crypto? 

Stablecoin in particular has rocked headlines lately, with benefits for merchants and consumers alike. 

Recently, Stripe-owned Bridge paired with Payoneer for cross-border remittances for smoother, every day transactions. 

Similarly, Finastra’s latest partnership with CargoX saw that trade finance is set to receive easier scaling of electronic document transfers, bringing increased processing times and decreased operational costs. 

But crypto isn’t just popular for business operations. Banks and consumers are seeing a rise in availability of services, prompting a wider conversation about how accessible it is. 

Recent research from Bitpanda UK states that one in 10 adults are willing to invest in cryptocurrency in 2026. 

In late 2025, Jennifer Lassiter, Managing Director and Head of Digital Assets, Americas and Europe at Standard Chartered stated that clients are moving “from experimentation to implementation, or at a minimum asking how to start thinking about implementation” in the digital asset space. 

Partner of the programme Crypto.com is one of many institutions making crypto accessible.

Its partnership with Yuno brings an expanded merchant checkout solution to Crypto.com’s many major partners, resulting in a potential increase in new revenue streams alongside the presenting a new payment experience for consumers. 

The crypto conversation: who has a seat at the table? 

Alongside Crypto.com, Mastercard’s new programme will be centred on 85 partners comprising of crypto-native companies, financial institutions and payment providers. 

Businesses such as Circle, Binance, BitGo, Bolt, Canton and Fireblocks will be part of the programme. 

Those who agree to join will engage with Mastercard on the “design and direction of future services”.

Pairing established card rails and global commerce flows with solutions focused on speed and programmability will see a measurable difference in industry innovation. 

Other partners include Gemini, CBW Bank, Polygon, Lead Bank, Marqueta, Ripple, Mercuryo, SoFi, Thredd, Worldpay and Moonpay. 

The programme has aims of practical execution “translating technical innovation into scale” as Mastercard says.

It aims to be able to operate across markets in addition to integrate into everyday commerce seamlessly. 

The Mastercard Crypto Partner Programme is one of a few initiatives launched by Mastercard in the constant race to innovation. 

Other examples include the Start Path, focused on blockchain and digital assets that accelerates growth through pairing fresh start-ups with late-stage counterparts globally.

Additionally, its Engage platform creates further opportunities for innovation, growth and most importantly collaboration.

The platform also includes Mastercard’s Crypto Card programme.