Bitget Wallet unveiled a partnership with Mastercard and payments infrastructure provider Immersve to launch the Bitget Wallet Card, a crypto-linked payment product that went live on 1 July. Available through the Bitget Wallet app, the virtual card links directly to users’ self-custodied wallets.

Holders can spend Bitcoin and other digital assets at more than 150 million merchants that accept Mastercard, with purchases settled on-chain via real-time crypto-to-fiat conversions. Bitget said the card imposes no transaction fees and meets Mastercard’s know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering standards.

The service is initially offered in the United Kingdom and the European Union, with plans to extend coverage to Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. A U.S. rollout remains contingent on regulatory clearance. The move broadens Mastercard’s push to integrate digital assets into its global payments network, following earlier collaborations with exchanges such as Gemini and Bybit.

Mastercard said Tuesday it will integrate Fiserv’s dollar-pegged FIUSD stablecoin across its payments network, allowing settlement in the token for more than 150 million merchants worldwide. The two companies will also pilot “stablecoin-powered” cards and evaluate FIUSD as a global settlement asset on Mastercard’s blockchain-based Multi-Token Network, aiming to smooth the transition between fiat and on-chain payments.

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Chainlink and Mastercard have announced a partnership enabling over three billion Mastercard cardholders worldwide to purchase cryptocurrencies directly on-chain. This integration leverages Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) and oracle infrastructure alongside Mastercard's global payment network, facilitating secure and compliant fiat-to-crypto conversions. The service is supported by platforms including Swapper Finance, Shift4, and ZeroHash, which handle liquidity and compliance aspects. This collaboration represents a major step in bridging traditional financial systems with decentralized finance (DeFi), allowing users to buy a range of crypto assets, including Bitcoin and stablecoins, directly through their Mastercard accounts. The partnership is expected to significantly expand retail access to cryptocurrencies on a global scale.

Beijing's urban rail transit system has become the world's first subway network to support contactless fare payments using five major card schemes: UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB, and American Express. This new service, which started on June 15, 2025, covers all 29 metro lines in Beijing, including two airport lines. Both overseas-issued JCB cards and domestically and internationally issued American Express cards are now accepted for tap-and-go access and ticket purchases. The system allows international visitors to tap their cards at any station gate for automatic fare calculation matching local rates.

Additionally, Shanghai's Maglev train has also begun accepting international bank cards for contactless tap-and-ride payments. Separately, in Santiago, Chile, the financial regulator CMF has authorized the launch of MetroPago, a new prepaid card for the Metro de Santiago network that will also function in retail commerce. Meanwhile, China has delivered the first electric trains for Bogotá's Metro Line 1, each consisting of six cars with a capacity of 300 passengers per car, expected to arrive soon in the Colombian capital.

Beijing's urban rail transit system has become the first in the world to offer contactless fare payments across its entire network using five major card schemes: UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB, and American Express. This service, which began on June 15, 2025, covers all 29 subway lines including two airport lines, allowing both domestic and international cardholders to tap and ride seamlessly. The system automatically calculates fares matching local rates. Meanwhile, Shanghai has also enhanced its transportation services by enabling contactless payments on its Maglev train and preparing to launch the Easy Go digital platform, powered by Alipay, to streamline travel services for international visitors. Additionally, Chinese augmented reality technology provider Rokid has integrated in-store payment functionality into its smart glasses, Rokid Glasses.

TWICE has announced their sixth world tour, 'THIS IS FOR,' set to begin with two nights at Inspire Arena in Incheon on July 19 and 20, 2025. The tour will feature 13 announced stops, including a dome tour in Japan with concerts in Osaka, Aichi, Fukuoka, and Tokyo, followed by performances in Macao, Bulacan, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. All venues will have 360-degree open seating. Additional cities and dates are expected to be revealed. The tour follows the release of TWICE's fourth full-length album, also titled 'THIS IS FOR,' which is scheduled for release on July 11, 2025. Their previous tour drew about 1.5 million fans across 27 cities.

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The Washington Metro has introduced a new payment option allowing riders to use credit and debit cards to pay for subway rides by tapping in and out. This contactless payment system was officially launched with a kickoff event at Dulles Airport. Despite the rollout, the system experienced technical difficulties during a live demonstration by a reporter, resulting in a temporary crash. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) confirmed that traditional SmarTrip cards will continue to be accepted alongside the new card payment method. This move comes years after cities like Moscow implemented similar contactless payment systems in their metro networks starting in 2019.

Three cross-border payments startups—OpenFX, Palla, and Conduit—have announced new funding rounds to advance international money transfer technologies.

OpenFX emerged from stealth with $23 million in funding led by Accel, aiming to cut cross-border payment costs by up to 90% and settle foreign exchange transactions in minutes. The platform targets modernization of global financial infrastructure.

Read more

The Competition Appeal Tribunal has given final approval to a £200 million settlement between Mastercard and class representative Walter Merricks, concluding nearly nine years of litigation over credit card fees. The case, brought in 2016, alleged that Mastercard's 'multilateral interchange fees' charged to businesses between 1992 and 2008 infringed competition law, resulting in higher prices for consumers.

Read more

The Bank of England is considering loosening the ringfencing rules that require UK banks to separate their retail operations from other activities, in response to calls from several UK lenders to scrap the regime entirely. This move aims to head off demands for a complete overhaul of the post-crisis banking regulations.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has expressed an 'open-minded' stance on reforming the banking industry's ring-fencing regime, indicating potential government support for changes to the current rules.

Read more

Mastercard, valued at $500 billion, has announced a partnership with MoonPay to enable over 1.54 billion users to send and receive Bitcoin payments. This move is part of Mastercard's broader strategy to integrate cryptocurrency into its payment ecosystem, enhancing its presence in global finance.

In addition to Bitcoin, Mastercard and MoonPay are launching stablecoin-powered payment cards. These cards will allow users to make payments in USDC & USDT at 150 million merchants worldwide, with transactions automatically converting to local fiat currency at checkout. The initiative leverages infrastructure from Iron, which MoonPay acquired in March, to facilitate these transactions. Every crypto wallet will also have access to new stablecoin-powered virtual Mastercards.

This partnership expands Mastercard's crypto offerings, following recent collaborations with OKX, Nuvei, and Circle. The move comes amidst competition with Visa, which has also begun piloting stablecoin services in six Latin American countries. Mastercard's latest initiative aims to enhance the utility of stablecoins in remittances, creator economies, and cross-border commerce.

Mastercard Incorporated reported its first-quarter earnings for fiscal year 2025, surpassing analyst estimates on key financial metrics. The company posted an adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.73, beating the estimated $3.58, and a GAAP EPS of $3.59, slightly above the $3.58 estimate. Revenue reached $7.3 billion, exceeding the $7.13 billion forecast and representing a 14% year-over-year increase. Gross dollar volume grew 9% to $2.4 trillion on a local currency basis, with purchase volume up 10% to $1.99 trillion.

Cross-border transaction volumes increased by 15%, slightly below the estimated 17.4%. Mastercard's adjusted operating margin improved to 59.3% from the previous 58.8%, while the adjusted tax rate rose to 19.1% from 15.9%. The company affirmed its full-year 2025 revenue growth outlook in the high-end of the low-double-digits to low-teens range, implying revenue between $31.5 billion and $32.7 billion. Net income for the quarter was $3.3 billion, with adjusted net income at $3.4 billion. Mastercard's performance reflects steady consumer spending and growth in its payment processing volumes.

Mastercard has announced a strategic partnership with Kraken to enable European users to spend Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies at over 150 million merchants worldwide. This collaboration aims to facilitate seamless crypto transactions for users in the European Union and the United Kingdom, marking a significant step in the integration of digital currencies into everyday commerce. The partnership is expected to leverage Mastercard's extensive global payments network, allowing users to utilize their digital assets in a wide range of retail environments.

Mastercard Inc. has announced plans to enable its 3.5 billion cardholders to transact with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, according to Business Insider. The company is developing a blockchain-powered payment network aimed at facilitating seamless fiat-to-crypto transactions for consumers, merchants, and financial institutions.

This initiative, which Mastercard describes as a 'sizable bet', includes the development of tools such as Crypto Credential and a Multi-Token Network, alongside over 100 crypto card programs, to make digital asset transactions easy, secure, and mainstream.

Africa's digital payments market is projected to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2030, according to reports by Mastercard and Genesis Analytics. This growth is attributed to increasing internet penetration and enhanced access to financial services, which are driving the adoption of digital payment solutions across the continent.

The European Union is advancing plans for a Digital Identity Wallet, known as the EUDI Wallet, set to launch in 2026 at a cost of €1.3 billion. This initiative aims to streamline identity verification, payments, and other digital interactions, promising enhanced security and efficiency for both consumers and businesses. Signicat, a leading provider of digital identity solutions, is playing a key role in its implementation. However, privacy advocates have raised concerns about potential surveillance risks associated with the system.

Read more

Bitget Wallet unveiled a partnership with Mastercard and payments infrastructure provider Immersve to launch the Bitget Wallet Card, a crypto-linked payment product that went live on 1 July. Available through the Bitget Wallet app, the virtual card links directly to users’ self-custodied wallets.

Holders can spend Bitcoin and other digital assets at more than 150 million merchants that accept Mastercard, with purchases settled on-chain via real-time crypto-to-fiat conversions. Bitget said the card imposes no transaction fees and meets Mastercard’s know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering standards.

The service is initially offered in the United Kingdom and the European Union, with plans to extend coverage to Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. A U.S. rollout remains contingent on regulatory clearance. The move broadens Mastercard’s push to integrate digital assets into its global payments network, following earlier collaborations with exchanges such as Gemini and Bybit.

Mastercard said Tuesday it will integrate Fiserv’s dollar-pegged FIUSD stablecoin across its payments network, allowing settlement in the token for more than 150 million merchants worldwide. The two companies will also pilot “stablecoin-powered” cards and evaluate FIUSD as a global settlement asset on Mastercard’s blockchain-based Multi-Token Network, aiming to smooth the transition between fiat and on-chain payments.

Read more

Chainlink and Mastercard have announced a partnership enabling over three billion Mastercard cardholders worldwide to purchase cryptocurrencies directly on-chain. This integration leverages Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) and oracle infrastructure alongside Mastercard's global payment network, facilitating secure and compliant fiat-to-crypto conversions. The service is supported by platforms including Swapper Finance, Shift4, and ZeroHash, which handle liquidity and compliance aspects. This collaboration represents a major step in bridging traditional financial systems with decentralized finance (DeFi), allowing users to buy a range of crypto assets, including Bitcoin and stablecoins, directly through their Mastercard accounts. The partnership is expected to significantly expand retail access to cryptocurrencies on a global scale.

Beijing's urban rail transit system has become the world's first subway network to support contactless fare payments using five major card schemes: UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB, and American Express. This new service, which started on June 15, 2025, covers all 29 metro lines in Beijing, including two airport lines. Both overseas-issued JCB cards and domestically and internationally issued American Express cards are now accepted for tap-and-go access and ticket purchases. The system allows international visitors to tap their cards at any station gate for automatic fare calculation matching local rates.

Additionally, Shanghai's Maglev train has also begun accepting international bank cards for contactless tap-and-ride payments. Separately, in Santiago, Chile, the financial regulator CMF has authorized the launch of MetroPago, a new prepaid card for the Metro de Santiago network that will also function in retail commerce. Meanwhile, China has delivered the first electric trains for Bogotá's Metro Line 1, each consisting of six cars with a capacity of 300 passengers per car, expected to arrive soon in the Colombian capital.

Beijing's urban rail transit system has become the first in the world to offer contactless fare payments across its entire network using five major card schemes: UnionPay, Mastercard, Visa, JCB, and American Express. This service, which began on June 15, 2025, covers all 29 subway lines including two airport lines, allowing both domestic and international cardholders to tap and ride seamlessly. The system automatically calculates fares matching local rates. Meanwhile, Shanghai has also enhanced its transportation services by enabling contactless payments on its Maglev train and preparing to launch the Easy Go digital platform, powered by Alipay, to streamline travel services for international visitors. Additionally, Chinese augmented reality technology provider Rokid has integrated in-store payment functionality into its smart glasses, Rokid Glasses.

TWICE has announced their sixth world tour, 'THIS IS FOR,' set to begin with two nights at Inspire Arena in Incheon on July 19 and 20, 2025. The tour will feature 13 announced stops, including a dome tour in Japan with concerts in Osaka, Aichi, Fukuoka, and Tokyo, followed by performances in Macao, Bulacan, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. All venues will have 360-degree open seating. Additional cities and dates are expected to be revealed. The tour follows the release of TWICE's fourth full-length album, also titled 'THIS IS FOR,' which is scheduled for release on July 11, 2025. Their previous tour drew about 1.5 million fans across 27 cities.

Read more

The Washington Metro has introduced a new payment option allowing riders to use credit and debit cards to pay for subway rides by tapping in and out. This contactless payment system was officially launched with a kickoff event at Dulles Airport. Despite the rollout, the system experienced technical difficulties during a live demonstration by a reporter, resulting in a temporary crash. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) confirmed that traditional SmarTrip cards will continue to be accepted alongside the new card payment method. This move comes years after cities like Moscow implemented similar contactless payment systems in their metro networks starting in 2019.

Three cross-border payments startups—OpenFX, Palla, and Conduit—have announced new funding rounds to advance international money transfer technologies.

OpenFX emerged from stealth with $23 million in funding led by Accel, aiming to cut cross-border payment costs by up to 90% and settle foreign exchange transactions in minutes. The platform targets modernization of global financial infrastructure.

Read more

The Competition Appeal Tribunal has given final approval to a £200 million settlement between Mastercard and class representative Walter Merricks, concluding nearly nine years of litigation over credit card fees. The case, brought in 2016, alleged that Mastercard's 'multilateral interchange fees' charged to businesses between 1992 and 2008 infringed competition law, resulting in higher prices for consumers.

Read more

The Bank of England is considering loosening the ringfencing rules that require UK banks to separate their retail operations from other activities, in response to calls from several UK lenders to scrap the regime entirely. This move aims to head off demands for a complete overhaul of the post-crisis banking regulations.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has expressed an 'open-minded' stance on reforming the banking industry's ring-fencing regime, indicating potential government support for changes to the current rules.

Read more

Mastercard, valued at $500 billion, has announced a partnership with MoonPay to enable over 1.54 billion users to send and receive Bitcoin payments. This move is part of Mastercard's broader strategy to integrate cryptocurrency into its payment ecosystem, enhancing its presence in global finance.

In addition to Bitcoin, Mastercard and MoonPay are launching stablecoin-powered payment cards. These cards will allow users to make payments in USDC & USDT at 150 million merchants worldwide, with transactions automatically converting to local fiat currency at checkout. The initiative leverages infrastructure from Iron, which MoonPay acquired in March, to facilitate these transactions. Every crypto wallet will also have access to new stablecoin-powered virtual Mastercards.

This partnership expands Mastercard's crypto offerings, following recent collaborations with OKX, Nuvei, and Circle. The move comes amidst competition with Visa, which has also begun piloting stablecoin services in six Latin American countries. Mastercard's latest initiative aims to enhance the utility of stablecoins in remittances, creator economies, and cross-border commerce.

Mastercard Incorporated reported its first-quarter earnings for fiscal year 2025, surpassing analyst estimates on key financial metrics. The company posted an adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.73, beating the estimated $3.58, and a GAAP EPS of $3.59, slightly above the $3.58 estimate. Revenue reached $7.3 billion, exceeding the $7.13 billion forecast and representing a 14% year-over-year increase. Gross dollar volume grew 9% to $2.4 trillion on a local currency basis, with purchase volume up 10% to $1.99 trillion.

Cross-border transaction volumes increased by 15%, slightly below the estimated 17.4%. Mastercard's adjusted operating margin improved to 59.3% from the previous 58.8%, while the adjusted tax rate rose to 19.1% from 15.9%. The company affirmed its full-year 2025 revenue growth outlook in the high-end of the low-double-digits to low-teens range, implying revenue between $31.5 billion and $32.7 billion. Net income for the quarter was $3.3 billion, with adjusted net income at $3.4 billion. Mastercard's performance reflects steady consumer spending and growth in its payment processing volumes.

Mastercard has announced a strategic partnership with Kraken to enable European users to spend Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies at over 150 million merchants worldwide. This collaboration aims to facilitate seamless crypto transactions for users in the European Union and the United Kingdom, marking a significant step in the integration of digital currencies into everyday commerce. The partnership is expected to leverage Mastercard's extensive global payments network, allowing users to utilize their digital assets in a wide range of retail environments.

Mastercard Inc. has announced plans to enable its 3.5 billion cardholders to transact with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, according to Business Insider. The company is developing a blockchain-powered payment network aimed at facilitating seamless fiat-to-crypto transactions for consumers, merchants, and financial institutions.

This initiative, which Mastercard describes as a 'sizable bet', includes the development of tools such as Crypto Credential and a Multi-Token Network, alongside over 100 crypto card programs, to make digital asset transactions easy, secure, and mainstream.

Africa's digital payments market is projected to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2030, according to reports by Mastercard and Genesis Analytics. This growth is attributed to increasing internet penetration and enhanced access to financial services, which are driving the adoption of digital payment solutions across the continent.

The European Union is advancing plans for a Digital Identity Wallet, known as the EUDI Wallet, set to launch in 2026 at a cost of €1.3 billion. This initiative aims to streamline identity verification, payments, and other digital interactions, promising enhanced security and efficiency for both consumers and businesses. Signicat, a leading provider of digital identity solutions, is playing a key role in its implementation. However, privacy advocates have raised concerns about potential surveillance risks associated with the system.

Read more