Mastercard, Microsoft team up to innovate digital commerce

The collaboration will accelerate Mastercard Labs’ cloud native research and development activities, enabled by Azure and AI, to advance Mastercard Labs’ mission to de-risk and commercialise emerging technologies and platforms for digital commerce. Through access to technical expertise and cutting-edge technologies, Mastercard’s partners will be further empowered to build and securely scale new solutions.

In addition, the collaboration between the two companies will enable Mastercard’s ecosystem of partners to explore the use of emerging innovations and new commerce capabilities, such as devices that enable digital payments in new ways. Through access to Azure technologies, augmented and virtual reality, and Internet of Things, fintech partners will be empowered to create new user experiences to advance how consumers, businesses, and governments exchange value.

Mastercard and Microsoft’s partnership will advance Mastercard’s vision to facilitate the lives of people by building pathways to financial security and access to critical services. The Azure cloud environment will serve as the native infrastructure for Mastercard Labs’ inclusion efforts and support Mastercard Community Pass — a platform that pulls together complex ecosystems and provides underserved communities with access to essential services, such as education, agriculture marketplaces, and basic healthcare.

Microsoft Azure provides Mastercard — and the ecosystems they jointly serve — with a scalable and flexible platform imperative for establishing secure connections and protecting data, co-innovating with partners and delivering access to financial services.