2021: A year of standing together

As we enter the holiday season, let’s take a moment to celebrate how we show up for one another and for our community. It is easy to be there during good times, but 2021 was hard. We faced unprecedented challenges, and yet we overcame with decency and compassion. We cared for one another and made a positive impact in the world around us.

Here is a snapshot of this year’s impact in India.

• Annually 3 million Indians will now have access to medical services because we built hospital wards – across India, adding over 2,000 hospital beds.
• At the height of the second wave of COVID-19, we delivered 1,000 oxygen concentrators to the government.
• 55,000 small traders and street vendors in Karol Bagh and Chandni Chowk were able to get back to business safely with sanitation kits and education on hygiene practices.
• We mobilized a $100 million credit facility to help small businesses digitize, with a focus on women-led businesses in collaboration with HDFC Bank and the US International Development Finance Corporation.
• 100,000 micro-merchants in Tier 2-6 cities will accept digital payments because we brokered a collaboration between the REVIVE Alliance and Mswipe.
• 7,500 kirana entrepreneurs are digitizing their operations, accessing credit, and improving business efficiencies, with a special focus on women-led kiranas.
• We began implementing Digital Saksham in Maharashtra, our signature MSME digitization program in partnership with CII.
• 20,000 more rural women entrepreneurs will access business advisory services through the Rural Women Chamber of Commerce.
• Over 100,000 girls were educated on Girls4Tech and inspired to pursue STEM careers.

To wrap up the year, we were honored by the U.S. Department of State when CEO Michael Miebach accepted on behalf of Mastercard the 2021 Award for Corporate Excellence for economic inclusion in India.

While 2021 was challenging, we have a lot to celebrate as we close out the year. We look forward to an auspicious and prosperous 2022. And of course, thank you for your continued commitment and partnership to doing well by doing good.