Mastercard’s Start Path program has announced the selection of five startups to participate in its blockchain and digital assets program. The aim of the program is to foster innovation in blockchain technology and explore new ways to use money to address real-world challenges. By leveraging Mastercard’s global payments expertise, the startups will have the opportunity to connect regulated money, bank deposits, stablecoins, and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) to drive the development of new solutions that improve digital commerce user experiences.
Selected startups will have access to special training, mentorship, and Mastercard’s network of customers and channels over a four-month period. Since its inception in 2014, the Start Path program has supported over 400 startups from 54 countries.
The selected startups include Kulipa, a French-based company facilitating crypto payment card issuance; Parfin, a UK-based company developing enterprise-grade software products for financial institutions; Peaq, a Singapore-based company providing permissionless and borderless digital infrastructure; Triangle, a U.S.-based startup integrating climate data with finance for sustainability; and Venly, a Belgium-based startup simplifying blockchain integration for developers and businesses.
In addition to the Start Path program, Mastercard recently completed the first live test of its Multi-Token Network (MTN) in collaboration with Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong (SCBHK). The test involved tokenizing carbon credits within the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Fintech Supervisory Sandbox, showcasing the potential of blockchain applications in financial services. The MTN, launched in June 2023, has previously collaborated with the Reserve Bank of Australia and the HKMA’s e-HKD CBDC in trial runs, demonstrating the potential of these technologies in modernizing financial transactions.