Chainlink x Mastercard: 3 Billion Cardholders Can Now Buy Crypto On‑Chain

• The Chainlink‑Mastercard deal is a major leap forward for crypto mainstreaming.
• By enabling billions of people to purchase crypto directly—securely, compliantly, and on-chain—it injects fresh momentum into DeFi and represents a quantum shift in how traditional users engage with blockchain finance.

Chainlink (LINK) and Mastercard have launched a partnership set to revolutionize how mainstream consumers buy cryptocurrencies. As of June 24, 2025, over 3 billion Mastercard cardholders worldwide can now purchase crypto via decentralized exchanges (DEXs) like Uniswap, directly on-chain—no complicated onboarding, no centralized exchanges.

An end to crypto friction?

For years, the crypto adoption frontier has been blocked by friction: clunky wallet setups, complicated KYC, and fragmented on‑ramp experiences.

This partnership eliminates much of that by integrating Mastercard’s expansive payment rails and fraud systems with Chainlink’s secure interoperability layer

Cardholders can now initiate a “buy crypto” flow directly—even executing smart contract swaps on-chain via a single tool.

The service is live today through Swapper Finance, powered by XSwap, which leverages Chainlink to pass reliable transaction data between card networks and blockchains.

It brings DEX-level functionality to everyday users, with full regulatory compliance thanks to ZeroHash, and fast secure card payments via Shift4.

Crypto ready for the ‘real world’

“This is what crypto looks like when it’s ready for the real world,” said Raj Dhamodharan, EVP of Blockchain & Digital Assets at Mastercard. He stressed that combining Mastercard’s network with Chainlink and partners is “meaningfully accelerating the broader adoption of digital assets at scale”

Chainlink co‑founder Sergey Nazarov described the initiative as a hallmark of “traditional finance and decentralized finance convergence that Chainlink was built to make possible,” noting it connects over three billion card users to on‑chain trading environments.

ZeroHash CEO Edward Woodford added that his company’s infrastructure “powers seamless, compliant crypto-to-crypto swaps,” abstracting away the complexity of wallets and smart contracts.

Meanwhile, Uniswap Labs’ Drew Turchin highlighted the continued role of Uniswap as essential on-chain liquidity infrastructure.

How Chainlink and Mastercard will work together

1. A user opens Swapper Finance (or an integrated app).
2. Shift4 processes the Mastercard payment.
3. ZeroHash handles fiat custody and stablecoin provision.
4. Chainlink securely transmits transaction data and swap instructions to Swapper Finance smart contracts.
5. A DEX like Uniswap executes the swap.
6. The user receives tokens directly into their wallet—all in one secure, on-chain process

What’s next?

Swapper Finance is operational today at swapper.finance, giving millions immediate on‑chain access.

Mastercard and Chainlink have hinted at further plans, including exploring use cases in on‑chain commerce, decentralized identity, lending, and staking.

This integration follows Mastercard’s recent partnerships with MoonPay (stablecoin payments at merchants) and Kraken (crypto debit cards), marking a steady push deeper into digital assets.

A change to how traders interact with wallets?

For Coinbase or Binance users, swapping with a card via Swapper Finance bypasses traditional on-ramps. For LINK holders, though the token edged up ~4% after the announcement, broader price gains will depend on sustained network utility . Still, the partnership underscores Chainlink’s vital infrastructure role in aligning DeFi with mainstream finance.