Press Releases
Mastercard today announced its collaboration with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to broaden its strategic outreach to Indian audiences. During this association, Mastercard will be the title sponsor for all international matches (both women’s and men’s) held on home ground, domestic cricket matches like Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Ranji Trophy organized by the BCCI, and also all junior cricket (Under 19 and Under 23) matches held in India.
Mastercard’s second annual New Payments Index revealed consumers in the Asia Pacific region remain among the most enthusiastic adopters of digital payments in the world, and the need for a greater focus on building trust in new technologies amidst continued global uncertainty.
Mastercard cardholders from Ambank, Maybank and Standard Chartered bank in Malaysia can now make payments using Apple Pay. Malaysia is the second country in Southeast Asia to support Apple Pay.
Mastercard has successfully secured accreditation under the Australian Government’s Trusted Digital Identity Framework as an identity provider for identity proofing level 1+, identity exchange and credential provider. It is the first private sector organization or entity to be accredited for more than two roles since the framework’s inception.
To support the long-awaited travel recovery, Mastercard expanded its Mastercard Travel & Lifestyle Services platform with new partnerships that focus on seamless travel experiences and priceless moments for cardholders, including WhatsApp servicing, Covid alerts and perks like lounge access when flights are delayed.
Mastercard unveiled its first ever music album titled Priceless® at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. The album, available first on Spotify and then other streaming platforms, features 10 songs by 10 artists from around the globe. Each song incorporates the recognizable melody of Mastercard’s brand sound.
Mastercard announced the approval of Marqeta, the global modern card issuing platform, as one of the first companies to join its Network Enablement Partner (NEP) program in the Asia Pacific region.
New research from the Mastercard Economics Institute Travel 2022: Trends & Transitions report reveals that for the first time since the pandemic, global leisure and business flight bookings surpassed pre-pandemic levels, while spending on cruise lines, buses and trains saw sharp improvements this year, signaling a key milestone in the global travel recovery.
Mastercard announced the launch of Mastercard Gamer Xchange (MGX), a first-of-its-kind, turnkey solution that helps consumers convert their unspent rewards points into gaming currency across nearly 4,000 of the world’s most popular gaming titles.
The launch of the new Pay by Account-enabled product sees EZ-Link expand to the open payment ecosystem, empowering users with greater digital payments capabilities.
Mastercard’s Priceless Planet Coalition, which now includes more than 100 global banks, fintechs and merchants, has announced the expansion of its reforestation work to include 15 new sites around the world. In Asia Pacific, new projects are being launched in Cambodia, China, India, and the Philippines while planting continues in Australia.
To meet growing consumer demand for more flexible payment options, Mastercard and Pine Labs have partnered to launch Mastercard Installments with Pine Labs. The new program will offer Filipino credit cardholders the flexibility to pay in interest-free monthly installments with their enrolled bank’s credit card anywhere they see the Pay Later identifier.
Mastercard announced the appointment of Julie Nestor as Senior Vice President, Head of Marketing & Communications, Asia Pacific, based out of Singapore.
Mastercard announced a 5-year global partnership with Zeta to launch credit cards with issuers worldwide on Zeta’s modern, cloud-native, and fully API-ready credit processing stack.
Mastercard, DBS Bank and Pine Labs have partnered to launch ‘Mastercard Installments with Pine Labs’ - a new program that allows DBS/POSB credit cardholders to pay via interest-free installments at merchants with the ‘Pay Later’ identifier.
Bank of Mongolia (BoM), with the help of Mastercard, recently launched its M/Chip ₮-Cards in December 2021. The symbol of the tugrik, the national currency of Mongolia, is integrated into the ₮-Cards scheme through Mastercard M/Chip technology, enabling it to better play its vital role as the main payment instrument of the Mongolian national economy.
Mastercard cardholders can now pay for their trips on the Bangkok MRT by simply tapping their contactless Mastercard Credit and Prepaid cards at the station gate, eliminating the need to handle cash, buy tickets, and top up their MRT cards.
To support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in navigating this journey, Mastercard Academy has launched ‘The Entrepreneur’s Odyssey’ – a first-of-its kind digital education platform that brings together a range of world-class academic and business resources to help small businesses learn and thrive.
New research from Mastercard reveals that implementing sustainable business practices is considered by many business leaders to be the next significant challenge faced by Australian organizations in the years ahead, with 76% identifying sustainability as critical for success in their industry.
Mastercard announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wakayama Prefecture, leveraging its global standard payment network to support the growth of the tourism sector and accelerate the digital transformation and cashless transaction infrastructure for small and medium businesses in the prefecture.
Mastercard announced today that Safdar Khan has been named Division President for Southeast Asia. This appointment is an expansion of his former role as Division President, Southeast Asia Emerging Markets.
Ahead of the pandemic’s second year milestone, the Mastercard Economics Institute released Economy 2022, a global outlook for the coming year. Based on critical trends, the report reveals how five fundamental factors — savings and spending, supply chains, digital acceleration, travel, and a growing list of economic risks — will continue to shape the global economy.
Mastercard (NYSE: MA) announced a series of changes in the leadership of its international operations that will help solidify the company’s delivery against strategic priorities outlined at its recent investment community meeting. All appointments are effective January 1, 2022. Gilberto Caldart, currently president of the company’s International Markets, will take on a new role as vice chair of Senior Client Partnerships and Relationships. Raghu Malhotra and Ling Hai will lead Mastercard’s International Markets as co-presidents.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Mastercard have jointly launched a range of 16 new and exclusively-curated “Priceless Experiences” including sailcations, staycations, movie experiences, local adventures, and gin creation workshops for locals ahead of upcoming holiday season. The experiences are part of their new domestic marketing campaign, to encourage locals to continue exploring the city and rekindle connections with their loved ones.
Mastercard today announced the next evolution of the payments model with the launch of a new commercial card offering designed specifically for small and medium enterprises. Called Mastercard Pay & Split, it enables financial institutions to provide small businesses with a similar payment product: the first-of-its-kind, network-based, open-loop installments solution to be made available anywhere in the world.
In partnership with Mastercard, three leading cryptocurrency service providers in Asia Pacific will be launching crypto-funded Mastercard payment cards. The trio of partnerships with Amber, Bitkub and CoinJar make it easier for consumers and corporates to spend cryptocurrency on physical or digital Mastercard payment cards.
Mastercard has been actively expanding its platform capabilities through the Mastercard Developers portfolio, adding a multitude of differentiated services to power new ways to pay, enhance the customer experience and infuse trust across the payments ecosystem.
Mastercard Track™ Business Payment Service and new partnership with Demica enables easier access to flexible working capital for buyers and suppliers. New offering supports Mastercard’s expansion of its Track BPS network around the world with new partnerships solidified in North America, Middle East & Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
Mastercard and Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading superapp, today announced a regional partnership to advance digital and financial inclusion in Southeast Asia (SEA).
To shed light on the impact the global health crisis – and ongoing recovery – has had on small businesses globally, Mastercard released its latest report: Recovery Insights: Small Business Reset.
Mastercard has today unveiled World Rugby’s Sevens player of the Decade, Portia Woodman, as its latest Global Brand Ambassador.
Mastercard Installments BNPL program to come to market in the U.S., Australia and the UK; Enables consumers to access this increasingly popular form of payment across its vast global acceptance network
Mastercard and the Australian Government’s Digital Transformation Agency will also explore how ID, Mastercard’s digital identity service, can support age verification in Australia.
Mastercard and partner Xiaomi, the world’s No.1 wearable band brand, unveiled an updated version of its Mi Smart Band 6, which spotlights the enablement of contactless payment. The new device now offers a fast, secure, and convenient way to pay for any number of purchases.
Developed in partnership with the Australian Government, ygap and Fintech Pacific, the technology puts women-led MSMEs at the forefront of Fiji’s digital transformation
The Pandemic Has Driven People to Redefine their Expectations of Experiences, Demanding Long-Lasting Impact
From creating a marketplace for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to enabling new sustainable digital assets, seven global crypto and digital assets startups join Mastercard’s award-winning Start Path program to access partnership opportunities, insights and tools to grow
As the COVID-19 pandemic affects economies and consumer behavior, Mastercard remains committed to getting micro and small enterprises online and helping them continue their business operations amid the crisis.
Outlines progress towards an inclusive, sustainable future for people and the planet
The Subic-Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mastercard to join the company’s City Possible™ program. Connecting with a network of more than 300 member and candidate cities around the world, the partnership aims to drive greater infrastructural efficiencies, economic growth, digital and financial inclusion in the Subic-Clark corridor.
The initiative aligns with the government’s goal to build a future-ready public infrastructure with connectivity, productivity, sustainability and safety.
Mastercard today announced a strategic equity investment in Instamojo, India’s largest full-stack digital solutions provider for MSMEs. The partnership will help India’s MSMEs to digitize and scale up their businesses through a suite of value-added services provided by Instamojo.
Mastercard today announced the appointment of Nikhil Sahni as its new Division President, South Asia & Country Corporate Officer, India, taking over from Porush Singh. Porush Singh will be relocating to Singapore and assuming a new role within the company.
GO-NET, in collaboration with Mastercard, studied both the benefits that IoT payments can bring to consumers and the potential challenges that lie ahead in processing those payments.
According to the Mastercard New Payments Index: The Australia Forecast Report, almost three-quarters (71%) of Aussies surveyed said they now have access to more ways to pay than they did at this time last year.
94% of consumers in APAC are considering using emerging payment methods this year. APAC enthusiasm for QR codes, digital wallets and cryptocurrencies exceeds global averages
Over half (51%) of AU-NZ organisations are placing innovation as high priority with 47% increasing innovation budgets, compared with 42% globally. Seventy-five percent of AU-NZ executives view customer insight as a vehicle for innovation, tracking with their global peers. AU-NZ organisations lag global peers in critical areas; 55% measure impact of innovation on business performance, versus 66% of globally.
QR on Card makes payments more flexible and safer and is another solution to drive easy acceptance of digital payments for SMEs in India
Mastercard is strengthening its global Digital First program across Asia Pacific with a range of innovative partners to deliver even more seamless and secure digital payment options than consumers expect as they shop and bank online more than ever before.
Pay by Bank App will enable consumers to make payments, securely and directly from the Bank’s mobile banking app.
Focusing on digital convenience and security, Mastercard is delivering more perks in more markets for premium cardholders in the Asia Pacific region with a comprehensive online portal, hassle-free e-commerce insurance and enhanced benefits.
