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Mastercard Launches Crypto-Linked Payment Cards in Asia Pacific
The card giant will enable customers in the region to convert cryptocurrency to fiat for payments.
Updated May 11, 2023, 5:46 p.m. Published Nov 8, 2021, 6:49 p.m.
Mastercard has formed partnerships with digital asset service companies Amber Group, Bitkub and CoinJar in order to allow consumers and businesses across Asia Pacific to obtain crypto-linked Mastercard credit, debit and prepaid cards, the company said in a statement Monday.
- Cardholders can now instantly convert their cryptocurrencies into a traditional fiat currency that can be spent everywhere that Mastercard is accepted.
- Mastercard’s partners for this initiative are the first Asia Pacific-based cryptocurrency platforms to join Mastecard’s global Crypto Card Program, according to the statement.
- Some 45% of those surveyed in Asia Pacific said they are likely to consider using cryptocurrency in the next year, and 12% said they used crypto in the last year, according to the latest Mastercard New Payments Index.
- Mastercard said in late October it was working with digital asset platform Bakkt to allow merchants and banks in the U.S. to build cryptocurrency into their offerings.
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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
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- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
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Tom Lee urges BitMine shareholders to approve share increase ahead of January 14 vote
The chairman of the former bitcoin miner-turned-ether treasury firm reiterated his view that Ethereum is the future of finance.
What to know:
- Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine Immersion (BMNR), urged shareholders to approve an increase in the company's authorized share count from 500 million to 50 billion.
- Lee assured shareholders that the increase is not intended to dilute shares, but instead to enable capital raising, dealmaking, and future share splits.
- Shareholders have until January 14 to vote on the proposal, with the annual meeting scheduled for January 15 in Las Vegas.
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