Mastercard Launches New Crypto Partner Program to Bridge Digital Assets and Global Payments
March 11, 2026 — Mastercard has introduced its latest global initiative, the Crypto Partner Program, designed to integrate digital assets with the conventional financial system and global commerce. This program unites over 85 leading crypto-native companies, payment providers, and financial institutions with the goal of fostering collaboration, innovation, and responsible growth in the evolving digital asset landscape.
Embracing the New Phase of Digital Assets
According to Mastercard executives Raj Dhamodharan, Executive Vice President of Digital Asset Blockchain Products & Partnerships, and Sherri Haymond, Executive Vice President of Digital Commercialization, digital assets are transitioning from parallel, niche systems into practical solutions embedded within mainstream finance. From cross-border remittances to B2B payments, enterprises are increasingly adopting digital asset technologies for payouts, settlements, and improving the speed and efficiency of global money movement.
The Mastercard Crypto Partner Program is envisioned as a collaborative forum where expertise flows both ways between Mastercard and the innovators building on blockchain technology daily. The initiative facilitates meaningful dialogue to help shape the future of payments that harness the programmability and speed benefits of digital assets while integrating with Mastercard’s established card rails and global payment flows.
Collaboration at the Core of Innovation
The program builds on Mastercard’s extensive history of engaging with the digital asset ecosystem through platforms like Start Path, which has focused on blockchain and digital assets, and the Engage platform, which includes a dedicated Crypto Card program. By creating a unified framework, the Crypto Partner Program aims to align innovation efforts across the ecosystem, support consistent standards, and translate technical breakthroughs into scalable, compliant solutions ready for global markets.
Participants in the program have the opportunity to work closely with Mastercard teams on designing future products and services that meet the practical needs of businesses and consumers alike. The initiative prioritizes practical execution—transforming new technology into seamless commerce experiences that integrate with everyday payment infrastructure worldwide.
A Growing Ecosystem of Leading Partners
The program features a diverse group of industry leaders and innovators including 1Money, Anchorage Digital, Aptos, Binance, BitGo, Circle, Crypto.com, Fireblocks, Gemini, Kraken, MetaMask, MoonPay, Nexo, OKX, Paxos, PayPal, Polygon, Ripple, Solana, Stellar, and many others. This broad membership reflects broad market momentum toward a more integrated financial ecosystem where digital assets become a fundamental part of daily transactions.
Pioneering Trust and Security in a New Payment Paradigm
As commerce is reshaped by tokenized currencies and AI-powered agents, Mastercard is embedding critical security, governance, and user protection standards into the infrastructure that supports these next-generation payment models. The company remains focused on enabling trust and interoperability at scale—ensuring that innovations in digital assets work seamlessly with existing financial systems to deliver new value safely and reliably.
For more information on the Mastercard Crypto Partner Program and related digital asset initiatives, visit Mastercard’s newsroom and digital assets insights pages.
About Mastercard
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry, dedicated to connecting and powering an inclusive digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere. The company’s products and solutions are used by consumers, financial institutions, governments, and businesses to make payments safer, simpler, and more efficient.
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