Mastercard Partners Chainlink to Enable 3 Billion Users to Buy Crypto Directly

Mastercard and Chainlink have joined forces to enable over 3 billion Mastercard users to buy cryptocurrencies directly on-chain using fiat currency. This partnership aims to make crypto more accessible to everyday users, especially those new to Web3. The collaboration integrates a network of Web3 partners, including Shift4 Payments, Swapper Finance, XSwap, and ZeroHash. ZeroHash will manage the on-chain service and liquidity, facilitating a convenient and safe exchange of fiat to crypto.

Swapper Finance’s current version of the app is non-custodial and uses account abstraction, giving users more control while keeping the experience simple. This partnership is based on the increased interest of Mastercard in crypto. In January of this year, Mastercard partnered with Kraken to issue crypto debit cards in the UK and Europe. It also collaborated with MetaMask to launch a crypto card with self-custody. In February 2025, Mastercard announced that 30 percent of its transactions were tokenized in 2025.

In the meantime, competing Visa is also entering the crypto realm more and more, as it has partnered with Coinbase and introduced its own Web3 digital asset platform. Buying crypto with fiat is still a challenge for many. But Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard’s EVP of blockchain and digital assets, believes that’s changing. “There’s no doubt about it, people want to be able to easily connect to the digital assets ecosystem,” he said. This partnership could be a game-changer for crypto adoption worldwide.

This collaboration involves several key players in the crypto ecosystem, including Uniswap, Zero Hash, Swapper Finance, Shift4Payments, and XSwap. Swapper Finance utilizes XSwap, a decentralized exchange built on Chainlink, for on-chain crypto swaps. Zero Hash handles compliance and custody, while Shift4Payments processes card payments. XSwap taps into platforms like Uniswap to complete trades with available liquidity, ensuring a seamless and secure transaction process.

Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov highlighted the significance of this partnership, stating that it represents a convergence of traditional finance and decentralized finance. He expressed excitement about Chainlink's role in bridging the gap between the traditional payments world and the on-chain decentralized exchanges, enabling over three billion cardholders to access next-generation trading environments.

Mastercard's executive vice president for Blockchain & Digital Assets, Raj Dhamodharan, emphasized the growing demand for easy access to the digital assets ecosystem. He noted that Mastercard's expertise and global payments network are being leveraged to bridge the gap between on-chain commerce and off-chain transactions. The collaboration with Chainlink is seen as a secure and innovative way to revolutionize on-chain commerce and drive the broader adoption of crypto assets.

This partnership marks a significant step towards mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies, as it provides a user-friendly and secure method for a vast number of users to enter the digital assets market. By integrating Chainlink's decentralized oracle network with Mastercard's extensive payment infrastructure, the collaboration aims to streamline the process of purchasing cryptocurrencies, making it more accessible to a global audience.