Mastercard launches tool to pay with crypto

Those who prefer to spend their crypto assets rather than convert them into cash now have a new tool: credit card giant Mastercard is on board.

With the help of Mercuryo Spend and Mastercard, you will now be able to spend Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies directly from your wallet, without the use of an intermediary, the company promises. Integration with Apple Pay and Google Pay is also envisioned.

According to a press release of the company, there are already 90 million acceptance points for Mercuryo Spend worldwide. Spend is a multi-chain Mastercard that is compatible with several blockchains, including Ethereum, Solana, Injective, Near, ZKsync, Polkadot and TON.

This offering positions itself as an alternative to "off-ramping," or selling cryptocurrencies for fiat money. Instead of exchanging ETH for euros, for example, you can pay directly with ETH, Mercuryo said.

"Through our partnership with Mercuryo, we are removing the barriers between blockchain and conventional payments, offering consumers who want to spend their digital assets a simple, reliable and secure way to do so where Mastercard is accepted," said Christian Rau, Senior Vice President of Mastercard's crypto division.