A few months ago, Visa had already announced the suspension of all prepaid cards with crypto monies outside the European Economic Area (EEA). It is now the turn of Mastercard to follow this route.
Bad news for crypto-enthusiasts outside Europe. After Visa, which declared all non-European cards to be blocked on 15 October at 11:59 (UTC), Mastercard imposes a similar regulation.
Sticks in the wheels
This leaves 90 days for all non-European card holders to withdraw or spend the cryptomony present on the cards. After that, Mastercard will deactivate all relevant cards.
This news could provoke a stir in the financial sphere, even if its importance should not be overestimated. It is not entirely excluded that all this is still a blow of FUD, a public façade aiming to "clean" before putting forward their own offers.
Then, extrapolating, the main result of such an operation will undoubtedly be to push card users to invest in a digital purse.
Again, we can ask ourselves whether these big companies do not serve a secret agenda, or at least have an overall vision that is not given to them, preferring to see them as ignorant.
In any case, all European citizens will be able to continue using their cards, even outside the EEA.