Mastercard Launches New Start Path Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Program for Startups
July 27 2021 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
From creating a marketplace for non-fungible
tokens (NFTs) to building an air-gapped cold vault 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
Mastercard announced today a new Start Path global startup
engagement program dedicated to supporting fast-growing digital
assets, blockchain and cryptocurrency companies. As a continuation
of Mastercard’s digital assets work, seven startups have joined the
program, including GK8, Domain Money,
Mintable, SupraOracles, STACS, Taurus,
and Uphold, and together with Mastercard seek to expand and
accelerate innovation around digital asset technology and make it
safer and easier for people and institutions to buy, spend and hold
cryptocurrencies and digital assets.
Among the new program participants is Mintable
(Singapore), a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace where users
can create, buy and sell digital and physical assets backed by the
blockchain such as digital collectibles, avant-garde artwork and
even music. The Mintable platform is packed with novel features
such as gasless minting and credit card purchasing that are
designed to empower the everyday person to get involved with NFTs
without any prior knowledge in crypto or coding. GK8
(Israel) is a self-managed end-to-end institutional crypto
custody platform that offers a true air-gapped cold vault. This
means that the platform is capable of creating, signing and sending
secure blockchain transactions without receiving input from the
internet, eliminating any potential cyberattack vectors. Taurus
(Switzerland) delivers enterprise-grade infrastructure to
manage any digital asset with one single platform, including crypto
assets, digital currencies and tokenized assets covering issuance,
custody, asset servicing and trading.
Other participating startups and fast-growing digital asset and
blockchain companies have been selected to join the inaugural track
of the Start Path program:
- Domain Money (USA) looks to build a next
generation investment platform, bridging the gap between digital
assets and traditional finance for retail investors.
- SupraOracles (Switzerland) is a powerful
blockchain oracle that helps businesses bridge real-world data to
both public and private chains, enabling interoperable smart
contracts to automate, simplify and secure the future of financial
markets.
- STACS (Singapore) provides a blockchain
infrastructure for the financial industry to unlock massive value
and enable effective sustainable financing. Its clients and
partners include global banks, national stock exchanges, and asset
managers.
- Uphold (USA) is a crypto-native, multi-asset
digital money platform offering investment and payment services to
consumers and businesses worldwide. Uphold's unique
‘Anything-to-Anything’ trading experience enables customers to
trade directly between asset classes with embedded payments
facilitating a future where everyone has access to financial
services.
Founders of the digital asset and blockchain companies
participating in the new Start Path program aim to address a host
of pain points including asset tokenization, data accuracy, digital
security and seamless access between the traditional and digital
economy. Each startup is focused on solving a unique industry
challenge and, throughout the program, will leverage Mastercard’s
expertise to support the continued growth and development of their
solutions.
Jess Turner, executive vice president of New Digital
Infrastructure and Fintech, commented: “Mastercard has been
engaging with the digital currency ecosystem since 2015. As a
leading technology player, we believe we can play a key role in
digital assets, helping to shape the industry, and provide consumer
protections and security. Part of our role is to forge the future
of cryptocurrency, and we’re doing that by bridging mainstream
financial principles with digital assets innovations.”
Digital Assets and Fintech Innovation
Supporting the startup ecosystem is a core part of Mastercard’s
ethos, and more than 250 startups have participated in the Start
Path program since 2014. With the expansion of Start Path to
include fast-growing crypto, blockchain and digital assets
startups, Mastercard is providing access to its latest tools and
solutions to help these companies scale their innovations and
cutting-edge technologies. These startups use the program to
connect with our ecosystem of banks, merchants, partners and
digital players across the globe to deliver new solutions.
About Mastercard (NYSE:MA):
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments
industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital
economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions
safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks,
partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help
individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses
realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ,
drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our
company. With connections across more than 210 countries and
territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks
priceless possibilities for all.
www.mastercard.com
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005244/en/
Katie Priebe, Global Communications, Mastercard +1 (914)
707-9822 | Katie.Priebe@mastercard.com
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