Mastercard Launches “Crypto Credential” to Secure Payments
Mastercard Inc. (NYSE:MA) has launched a new service called “Crypto Credential,” aimed at enhancing the security and ease of peer-to-peer crypto transactions across various European and Latin American countries. This service enables users to create a Mastercard username for sending and receiving Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies via exchanges such as Bit2Me, Lirium, and Mercado Bitcoin, operating in regions like Brazil, Argentina, and France.
Walter Pimenta, Mastercard’s Executive Vice President of Product and Engineering for Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighted the need for secure transactions in the expanding blockchain and digital assets space. “With the rising interest in blockchain and digital assets in Latin America and globally, it is crucial to provide trusted and verifiable interactions across public blockchain networks,” Pimenta stated.
Crypto transactions traditionally involve complex wallet addresses, which are lengthy and random strings of characters. Mistakes in these addresses can lead to lost funds. Mastercard’s new service addresses this issue by alerting the sender if the recipient’s wallet does not support the specific asset or blockchain, thereby preventing the transaction and protecting users from potential losses.
Additionally, the service combats scams involving lookalike addresses. Fraudsters often exploit truncated wallet addresses, showing only the first and last few characters. Mastercard’s Crypto Credential mitigates this risk, ensuring safer transactions for users.
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