Kickstarting the next generation of blockchain payments
May 15, 2024Five startups will join Mastercard’s Start Path Blockchain and Digital Assets program to explore how people and businesses use money to move value and solve real-world problems
Today, Mastercard is introducing five startups from around the world to its Start Path Blockchain and Digital Assets program to drive best-in-class user experiences and expand use cases that demonstrate the power of blockchain technology.
Blockchain and digital assets are already transforming financial services, expanding how people and businesses can use their money to move value. Digital assets are becoming increasingly mainstream, speeding up commerce with trust and transparency.
Each currency format – from regulated money to bank deposits, to stablecoins and CBDCs – serves a specific purpose, and Mastercard is connecting with industry experts and fintechs to explore differentiated use cases that can help to solve real-world problems. Mastercard’s experience in payments innovation and building a global, card-based payments network uniquely positions the company to bridge these ecosystems with startups, power new solutions and create efficiencies in digital commerce experiences.
As part of its collaborative approach to innovation, Mastercard is exploring future use cases to scale new solutions with startups around the world. High-potential blockchain, digital assets and Web3 startups receive the opportunity for collaboration, bespoke training and access to Mastercard’s customers and channels through the virtual four-month program. Since the program was founded in 2014, Mastercard has supported more than 400 startups from 54 countries.
The following startups are joining Start Path to expand into new markets and scale blockchain innovation:
Kulipa (France): Enables next-gen crypto payment card issuing for digital wallets
"Through Mastercard Start Path, we’re looking to uncover new ways to unlock crypto mass adoption and wider financial inclusion with convenient, global stablecoin payments,"says Axel Cateland, founder of Kulipa.
Parfin (U.K.): Builds enterprise-grade software products to allow financial institutions to adopt blockchain rails
"Parfin merges traditional finance (TradFi) with decentralized finance (DeFi) expertise, fostering a unified finance (UniFi) approach for more efficient, transparent and inclusive markets,” says Marcos Viriato, CEO and co-founder of Parfin. “We eagerly anticipate how Mastercard Start Path can help accelerate our advancement in blockchain innovation.”
peaq (Singapore): Provides permissionless, borderless digital infrastructure for real-world apps (DePIN), leveraging vehicles, machines, robots and devices
“We are thrilled to join Mastercard Start Path, which opens up an exciting array of prospective bridges between decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN), which peaq was built to power, and traditional finance,” says Till Wendler, co-founder of peaq. “This is a great step for the project, and we are certain that it will go a long way in advancing real-world Web3 adoption and unlocking new opportunities for the Economy of Things."
Triangle (USA): Prioritizes sustainability through a data platform that triangulates climate data with finance
"Triangle is excited to be part of the Mastercard Start Path program, as we look to triangulate the worlds of sustainability and finance together to deliver high impact solutions,” says Darren Wolfberg, co-founder & CEO of Triangle.
Venly (Belgium): Makes blockchain integration straightforward for developers and businesses to support industry growth and digital transformation
"The complexity and inefficiency of building on blockchain technology sparked a quest for a more intuitive, accessible approach while solving foundational issues in the ecosystem,” says Tim Dierckxsens, CEO of Venly. "The Mastercard Start Path program strengthens our resolve to ensure blockchain becomes the seamless backbone of the new digital era."
Media contact: Jen Langione, Mastercard Global Communications, (917) 408-2941, jen.langione@mastercard.com
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