It looks that another firm is turning positive towards digital currencies. MasterCard, whose the company’s CEO recently dished out digital currencies and called them junk, is now open for the decentralized platform.
While addressing Financial Times, Ari Sarkar, MasterCard’s Co-President for the Asia-Pacific region said the organization is positive about cryptocurrencies and is open towards the digital currencies that are established and supported by governments across the world.
Sarkar added that the firm is also ready to support cryptocurrencies as long as they can meet the requirements of governments across the globe and they are not anonymous.
Various countries around the world including Estonia, Israel, England, Russia, China, and India among others have plans to launch their cryptocurrencies, which will be controlled by the central banks of the respective countries.
But apart from Venezuela who lately launched their currency, the Petro, other countries are yet to take any concrete measures in starting their digital currencies.
Earlier, MasterCard’s CEO, Ajay Banga said that non-government mandated digital currencies are a waste of world resources. He also added that Mastercard would be at the front line in spearheading solutions for government launched digital currencies across the globe.
Earlier in February, both MasterCard and its competitor VISA had reclassified crypto related transactions that utilized credit card as a cash advance from the previous categorizations of purchases.
Due to classification changes, cryptocurrency buyers using credit cards were obliged to pay a fee of 5% more to the credit card merchant in addition to the credit card fee charged.
However, the apparent disgust that MasterCard has towards cryptocurrencies has not restricted the firm from dabbling its hands and operating on digital currencies and blockchain related technologies.
According to Mr. Sarkar, the organization’s development and research firm, MasterCard Labs, has filed various patents associated with blockchain technologies and digital currencies.
