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A leading payments industry news source for more than 17 years. Glenbrook curates the news and keeps you abreast of the important daily headlines in payments.
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June 15, 2026
On the web
Mastercard on Central Bank Rails: What the TIPS Pilot Means for the Payments Industry
LeapRate
"Two weeks ago, Mastercard quietly did something that would have been impossible eighteen months ago. Its Mastercard Move platform processed live payments settled atomically in central bank money — simultaneously completing both legs of a euro-to-Danish-krone exchange on the ECB’s TARGET Instant Payment Settlement platform. No correspondent bank in the middle. No overnight settlement risk. Final, simultaneous settlement in central bank money. It may not have generated the headlines it deserves."
June 10, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Launches Agent Pay for Machines to Unlock Super-Fast, Always-on Payments
Mastercard
"Mastercard envisions a future where businesses create services for AI agents to buy and use. To enable this new form of commerce, Mastercard developed a new way to pay for these services: payments, some only fractions of a cent, to be completed quickly, programmatically and securely. Today, the company is introducing Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M), a new service that will allow these transactions to be permissioned, orchestrated and settled at machine speed across its global payments network."
June 9, 2026
On the web
HSBC, Mastercard Pilot Agentic B2B Payments in Singapore
Tech In Asia
"HSBC and Mastercard said they were piloting agentic commerce for business-to-business (B2B) procurement and payments in Singapore. The proof of concept links a multinational corporate buyer, Singapore-based procurement platform SourceSage, and ecommerce supplier FortyTwo through Mastercard Agent Pay, tokenised payments, and merchant discovery and referral tools. HSBC said the pilot would let trusted digital agents automate parts of purchasing and payment while keeping controls and oversight in place."
June 5, 2026
On the web
Visa And Mastercard Collaborate On New Stablecoin Platform
Yahoo Finance
"Credit card giants Visa and Mastercard are reportedly close to introducing a new stablecoin platform. Media reports say that global payment network Stripe and U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: $COIN) also plan to participate in the stablecoin platform. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged to another asset, usually the U.S. dollar."
June 3, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Expands Settlement Capabilities to Include Stablecoin, Intraday, Holiday and Weekend Options
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced plans to expand its settlement capabilities with additional intraday, weekend and holiday card settlement, supporting both fiat currencies and on-chain card settlement using regulated stablecoins. ARQ, CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank and Nuvei are expected to be among the first to support stablecoin settlement optionality in the United States and Latin America, with further expansion planned through 2026."
June 2, 2026
On the web
Europe is Building the Foundations for Trusted Agentic Commerce
Mastercard
"Until recently, that experience would break at the moment of payment. Agentic commerce could help people decide, but not actually pay. That is the gap Mastercard Agent Pay is designed to address. In controlled, consent‑based scenarios, consumers can now authorise an AI agent to complete a purchase on their behalf, using credentials they already trust. A year on from announcing Agent Pay, Europe has moved from concept to reality. Today, all Mastercard issuers in Europe are enabled at a network level for Agent Pay."
June 1, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Advances Instant Cross-Border Payments with TIPS Cross-Currency Pilot
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced its participation in a Eurosystem-led pilot, conducted in collaboration with Danmarks Nationalbank and Sveriges Riksbank, on the TARGET Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS) platform, testing instant cross-currency payments (TIPS X-CCY). As part of the pilot, Mastercard Move, the company’s money movement platform, was among the first participants to process transactions using the cross‑currency pilot functionality. Payments were settled atomically between euros and Danish kroner, meaning both currency legs were completed simultaneously,"
May 27, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Secures New York BitLicense to Support Stablecoin and Digital Payment Infrastructure
CoinDesk
"Mastercard has secured a New York BitLicense, allowing it to conduct digital asset activities under one of the toughest crypto regulatory regimes in the United States. The approval advances Mastercard’s strategy to build blockchain-based payments and settlement infrastructure, with a particular focus on stablecoins and tokenized deposits."
May 22, 2026
Top Post
Should Visa & Mastercard Investors Worry About UK & Europe's Moves?
Yahoo Finance
"Britain’s Payment Systems Regulator, or PSR, has stepped up scrutiny of card networks after years of complaints from merchants over rising card costs. The regulator is now consulting on a proposed regulatory financial reporting framework that would require Visa Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated to disclose detailed information tied to their UK operations. The consultation focuses on margins, profitability and the economics behind scheme and processing fees charged across the card ecosystems."
On the web
Mastercard Is Asking Brazilian Payment Processors To Share A Costly Bill
Finimize-Bloomberg
"Mastercard is pressing some of Brazil’s largest payment processors to absorb part of nearly 5 billion Brazilian reais (about $997 million) in card payments linked to Will Financeira after the fintech collapsed. Bloomberg, via MT Newswires, reports that Mastercard – the card network behind Will Financeira’s cards – became responsible for reimbursing merchant acquirers (the firms that process card payments for stores) for those transactions. It has already repaid roughly half, but it’s proposing a recovery “waterfall” to limit what’s left."
May 19, 2026
On the web
Mastercard: How to Stop the Scammers Behind the Storefronts
Mastercard
"The growth of digital payments helped millions of legitimate businesses move online fast and gave people a convenient, safe way to shop from home. But the same tools that help a real merchant launch quickly also made it simpler for criminals to set up fake storefronts. Technology like generative AI has made it even harder for consumers to detect them, thanks to deepfake videos from non-existent satisfied customers, rafts of testimonials generated from a single prompt and professional-grade websites and ads."
May 18, 2026
On the web
Mastercard and JD.com Announce Strategic Partnership to Support Business Growth Through Payments Innovation
Mastercard
"Mastercard and JD.com, a technology and service company with supply chain at its core, announced a strategic partnership to deliver innovations that build a more connected, secure and intelligent commerce ecosystem. JD.com and Mastercard will work together to further integrate and enhance global payment connectivity by developing a payment infrastructure to support JD.com’s international business development and enable broader use cases in global commerce."
May 14, 2026
On the web
Can Mastercard Ride the Agentic Commerce Wave With PhotonPay?
Yahoo Finance
"Mastercard is exploring the fast-growing world of agentic commerce through a new collaboration with PhotonPay. The companies recently completed a live AI-powered payment demonstration in Hong Kong, where an AI agent autonomously selected, booked and paid for a ride using a tokenized payment credential. The test transaction combined PhotonPay’s programmable financial infrastructure with Mastercard’s Agent Pay capabilities."
Amazon’s New Prime Business and Amazon Business Credit Cards, Powered by U.S. Bank and Mastercard, Are Now Available with Enhanced Rewards and Flexible Financing
Mastercard
"Amazon launched the new Prime Business Card and Amazon Business Card, bringing together the Amazon rewards business customers love with powerful new benefits to help businesses make the most of their spending on Amazon. These cards, issued by U.S. Bank as part of the Mastercard network, offer rewards wherever customers are shopping, access to flexible financing for purchases, and no annual or foreign transaction fees."
May 8, 2026
On the web
Here’s Why Mastercard Is Betting Big on BVNK — and Stablecoin
Global Finance Magazine
"The card company has positioned itself as a bridge between its global network and on-chain payment systems. For a technology that’s designed to leave traditional finance on the sidelines, credit card payment networks are making significant investments in stablecoins. Mastercard’s announced acquisition of BVNK, an enterprise stablecoin infrastructure provider, could usher in a new era of digital expansion for the legacy payments company. According to Mastercard, the deal’s final price tag could reach $1.8 billion by the time it closes at the end of 2026."
May 7, 2026
On the wires
Mastercard and Yellow Card Partner to Unlock Stablecoin Payment Innovation Across EEMEA
PR Newswire
"Mastercard and Yellow Card, a licensed stablecoin infrastructure provider operating primarily across Africa, with additional capabilities in select emerging markets, have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate stablecoin-enabled payment innovation across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA), with plans for global expansion."
May 5, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard: Subscription Fatigue Is Real. Control Should Be, Too
Mastercard
"While the payments ecosystem has been focused on streamlining the dispute resolution process for consumers, merchants need help too. That’s where a new partnership between Mastercard and Fraud Deflect. Fraud Deflect will be integrated with Mastercard’s Ethoca Consumer Clarity Smart Subscriptions to bridge the communication gap between merchants and card issuers. The service will allow subscription-based businesses to proactively resolve recurring payment disputes before they turn into costly chargebacks."
On the web
Stablecoin Startup Rain Joins Mastercard as a Principal Member
The Block
"Stablecoin payments startup Rain is partnering with Mastercard to expand its card offerings. According to an announcement on Monday, Rain is now a Mastercard Principal Member, enabling it to offer stablecoin-powered credit and prepaid cards on the second-largest global payment network. The startup also has a preexisting relationship with Visa."
April 21, 2026
On the web
Cryptocurrencies How Mastercard Plans To Process Card Payments Through Stablecoins
CoinSpot
"Mastercard is integrating stablecoins into card settlements. Banks will be able to use digital dollars like SoFiUSD. A partnership with SoFi Technologies will allow SoFi Bank to settle in SoFiUSD. The Galileo platform will open up this model to other banks and fintech companies as well. This is specifically about the post-payment settlement stage. Nothing will change for users—they will continue to pay with cards as usual. But the settlements between banks may go through blockchain and digital assets. Using its Multi-Token Network, Mastercard plans to support various forms of tokenized money, including stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and digital equivalents of fiat currencies."
April 20, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Builds AI Foundation Model to Power Payments, Security and Personalization
CDO Magazine
"Mastercard is developing a new artificial intelligence foundation model trained on billions of anonymized transactions, aiming to enhance payments, cybersecurity and customer experiences across its network. The model is designed as an “insights engine” rather than a chatbot, using structured financial data to predict transaction patterns and improve decision-making across services such as fraud detection, loyalty programs and analytics. To build the system, Mastercard is using a type of deep learning architecture known as a large tabular model (LTM) which differs from the large language models used in popular chatbots."
April 9, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Makes Getting Around Korea Easier for International Travelers with iPhone
Mastercard
"Getting around South Korea just got easier for international travelers. Visitors can now use their iPhone or Apple Watch and Mastercard cards to pay for public transport, following the launch of the MobileTmoney transit app on the Apple App Store. Travelers can top up their MobileTmoney balance directly in Apple Wallet using their Mastercard debit or credit card—eliminating the need to buy physical transit cards or carry cash. The service is the result of a collaboration between MobileTmoney and Apple, powered by Mastercard’s global payments network."
April 8, 2026
On the web
Mastercard and Krungthai Card Complete First Live Agentic Transaction in Thailand
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced the completion of a pilot that delivered its first authenticated agentic transaction in Thailand with Krungthai Card Public Company Limited (KTC). The pilot demonstrated how AI can support consumers to complete everyday tasks — such as transportation — securely and seamlessly. In the inaugural test case, an AI agent booked a ride from Suvarnabhumi airport to Central Chidlom through Elife, a global mobility provider. The booking and agentic transaction were facilitated by an AI agent, which connects to Elife’s network of services."
March 27, 2026
Top Post
Mastercard Tests AI-Driven Payments in Puerto Rico
News is My Business
"Mastercard said it completed live end-to-end transactions using artificial intelligence-powered shopping agents across Latin America and the Caribbean, including in Puerto Rico, where Oriental Bank and Evertec participated. The company said that means an AI assistant can now do more than recommend a product or service, it can complete an actual purchase for a customer using existing payment infrastructure and the cardholder’s consent. Mastercard said the transactions were carried out in controlled environments using Mastercard Agent Pay, the company’s platform for what it calls agentic commerce, in which AI systems can search for products, recommend options and complete purchases on behalf of users."
March 26, 2026
On the web
Cornell Tech Partners With Mastercard to Advance AI Governance Standards
Cornell Chronicle
Cornell Tech has launched a research collaboration with Mastercard to advance methods for evaluating and auditing generative artificial intelligence systems. Supported by Mastercard’s AI Governance program, the project will examine how to improve transparency and real‑world benefits from generative AI.
The research effort includes a core team of Cornell Tech faculty members who are leaders in the fields of algorithmic fairness, AI evaluation, the ethics of technology and human-AI interaction.
Mastercard Explores Sale of Payments Unit It Bought From Nets in 2019, FT Reports
Mastercard
"Mastercard is seeking to sell the real-time payments unit that it acquired from Denmark's Nets Group in 2019 for $3.2 billion, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. The credit card giant has hired investment bankers to lead a sale of the business that could draw interest from private equity groups, the report said. Mastercard is likely to fetch a lower valuation than the price it paid, the report said."
March 18, 2026
On the web
Mastercard and Google Team Up to Build Trust for AI-Powered Shopping
The Defiant
"Mastercard has unveiled Verifiable Intent, a new open, standards-based trust framework co-developed with Google, designed specifically for "agentic commerce" — a world where artificial intelligence (AI) systems don't just assist shoppers, but actively plan, decide, and complete purchases autonomously. The core problem Verifiable Intent aims to solve is visibility: when a consumer delegates a purchase to an AI agent, the clear “click buy” or "tap to pay" moment that traditionally signals intent disappears."
March 17, 2026
On the web
Mastercard to Acquire BVNK to Connect On-Chain Payments and Fiat Rails
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced a definitive agreement to acquire BVNK, a leader in stablecoin infrastructure, for up to $1.8 billion, including $300 million in contingent payments. The deal further expands Mastercard’s end-to-end support of digital assets and value movement across currencies, rails and regions."
March 16, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Move Expands China Connectivity With New Bank of Shanghai Collaboration
Disruption Banking
"Mastercard announced a collaboration between Mastercard Move, its money movement platform, and Bank of Shanghai (BoS) to enable seamless, bi-directional payment flows between China and global markets. As international trade, migration and education continue to grow, people and businesses increasingly rely on fast, predictable and transparent global payments. The integration of BoS into Mastercard Move streamlines these cross-border flows, giving SMEs, students and families a more efficient way to move money into and out of China, strengthening a vital financial bridge between China and the world."
March 12, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Move Expands China Connectivity With New Bank of Shanghai Collaboration
Mastercard
"Mastercard announced a collaboration between Mastercard Move, its money movement platform, and Bank of Shanghai (BoS) to enable seamless, bi-directional payment flows between China and global markets. As international trade, migration and education continue to grow, people and businesses increasingly rely on fast, predictable and transparent global payments. The integration of BoS into Mastercard Move streamlines these cross-border flows, giving SMEs, students and families a more efficient way to move money into and out of China, strengthening a vital financial bridge between China and the world."
March 11, 2026
On the web
Mastercard Advances Its Agentic AI Strategy With Virtual C-Suite, Bringing Executive Level Intelligence to Small Businesses [Video]
Mastercard
"Mastercard is advancing a new era of AI with capabilities that span the full commerce lifecycle, from understanding how money moves to predicting risk and opportunity to recommending and executing next best actions. Mastercard’s growing suite of AI-powered capabilities is designed to pioneer the shift from insight to action — all with privacy, trust, and human oversight at the core."