MasterCard-Backed Catalyst Launches as the World's First Dedicated Payments Incubator
The UK's Emerging Payments Association (EPA) has announced the launch of the Catalyst, an incubator dedicated to early stage payments companies. Backed by leading payment firms MasterCard and The Bancorp, the Catalyst aims to help scale 25 businesses by providing young entrepreneurs with access to investors, mentors and commercial partners. Commenting on the initiative, Scott Abrahams, Head of Acceptance and Emerging Payments, at MasterCard, said: "Startups within the payments industry often find it difficult to find the right level of guidance, education and support to help them develop....
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The Bahamian Sand Dollar can now be used for payments anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
Payments giant Mastercard has launched a new, global program for cryptocurrency startups. Seven crypto companies have already joined the program. Together with Mastercard, they will work 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.” Mastercard’s New Crypto Program Mastercard announced Tuesday “a new Start Path global startup engagement program dedicated to supporting fast-growing digital assets, blockchain and cryptocurrency....
Mastercard has been upping its bet in the bitcoin space of late. The payments processor, alongside its rival Visa, has realized that the future of payments will happen on the blockchain, hence it is better to get in now than later. This has put MasterCard at the forefront of development on the payments side of cryptocurrencies, propelled forward by its enormous resources that can be put towards research. The latest in the long line of innovation in the crypto space is the launch of crypto payment cards in the Asia Pacific. The cards will help accelerate MasterCard’s effort to enable crypto....
A startup seeking to use the Ethereum blockchain and artificial intelligence to create an identity authentication system has been accepted into REach, an incubator backed by the investment arm of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Founded in 2015, Trust Stamp is now emerging from stealth mode, revealing $400,000 in funding for what it calls its FICO-like trust scoring system, with part of its funding coming from the REach incubator. The incubator is operated by Second Century Ventures, which is 100% owned by the NAR and conducts investments on behalf of the not-for-profit trade....
Payments giant Mastercard is launching crypto-linked payment cards for the Asia-Pacific region in partnership with three crypto service providers. “For the first time, consumers and businesses in the Asia Pacific region will be able to apply for crypto-linked Mastercard credit, debit, or prepaid cards,” Mastercard said.
First Crypto-Linked Mastercards in Asia-Pacific Region
Mastercard announced Monday that it has partnered with three crypto service providers across the Asia-Pacific region “to launch the region’s first crypto-linked payment....