Mastercard Expands Global Network for Urban Co-Development

At Smart City Expo World Congress, Mastercard showcases the power of collaboration by convening growing City Possible community

At Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) in Barcelona, today, Mastercard marked the expansion of its City Possible network to 40+ members inducting Augusta, GA; Casey, AUS; Columbia, SC; Georges River, AUS; Juazeiro do Notre, BRA; Logan, AUS; Madre De deus, BRA; New Orleans, LA; Novo Hamburgo, BRA; Porto Alegre, BRA; Santo André, BRA; Seat Pleasant, MD; Spokane, WA; and Wellington, NZL into the growing global community of cities.


One year after its launch in November 2018, City Possible, a partnership and co-creation initiative pioneered by Mastercard, has made significant progress to help cities #MakeTechWorkForPeople by streamlining public transit, increasing access to city services, and informing urban planning to improve quality of life for all. Through a unique partnership with Harvard (TECH), City Possible convened urban leaders in a series of knowledge-sharing gatherings in New York City, Las Vegas, Melbourne, Boston, Medellin, Buenos Aires, Dublin and now in Barcelona to identify common challenges, exchange learnings, and select opportunities for deeper collaboration.

“Cities around the world share similar issues – above all building strong local economies and prosperity for everyone, everywhere in their cities,” says Miguel Gamiño, executive vice president enterprise partnerships and head of global cities at Mastercard. “By bringing city leaders together to surface shared challenges and connect them to the insights and solutions of academics, businesses and NGOs, City Possible is pioneering a path to making cities more inclusive and sustainable, drawing on the collective expertise and resources of all stakeholders.”

A recent outcome of the City Possible model, Mastercard developed City Insights, enabling urban leaders to harness data analytics to better understand the economic health of their communities. The tool has been piloted in Dublin, London and Helsinki to help policymakers assess the economic impact of planned or unplanned events on their local economy. City Insights is a tool made available to City Possible members as a benefit of being part of a growing global network of urban problem solvers. Building on their peers’ learnings, City Possible members are able to use this tool to mitigate the impact of natural disasters, identify opportunity for local investment, and make more informed policy decisions.

“For too long, we have been dependent on outdated information and anecdotal evidence to make critical decisions,” says Jamie Cudden, Smart City Lead for Dublin City Council. “The collaboration with City Possible by Mastercard has allowed us to move to an evidence-based approach to urban development. This will help our city go farther, faster, and ultimately do more to support the communities we serve.”

Other recent City Possible milestones include:

• Mastercard launched City Key in partnership with the City of Honolulu at the US Conference of Mayors, which combines identification, access to city services and payment functionalities in one tool to provide greater convenience and security, while helping local government find efficiencies in their operations and maximize taxpayer dollars.

• Mastercard expanded their best in class transit solutions to over 200 cities and partnered with Kisio to develop a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform that integrates with local transit authorities.

By assembling a diverse set of industry partners, City Possible helps cities implement scalable solutions. Recently, Amadeus, DeepLabs, Silicon Harlem and ZenCity were welcomed into the community to expand the bundled insights and resources City Possible can provide its members. Joining a community of well-established industry leaders such as HERE Technologies, IDEMIA, Willis Towers Watson, EVERFI and AT&T, this group of partners will complement Mastercard’s expertise in areas such as tourism & mobility management, cyber resilience and artificial intelligence.

From November 19^th – 21^st, Mastercard will be participating in Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) in Barcelona, an annual global gathering of public sector and industry leaders. At the event, delegates can experience the power of collaboration by visiting the City Possible Plaza that is jointly presented with SCEWC. Convening academics, NGOs, companies and cities from across the globe, Mastercard will host a series of conversations and demos alongside representatives from United Nations Global Compact Cities, the Inter-American Development Bank, The Brookings Institute, UN Habitat, and The World Bank.

About Mastercard

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. Our global payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

Mastercard Communications Contact
Casey Jaquez, +1-212-823-1432
Casey.Jaquez@mastercard.com