In a major step toward bridging crypto and traditional finance, Mastercard has partnered with decentralized settlement protocol Kima to enable stablecoin-powered top-ups for prepaid cards—directly from self-custody wallets. This move, part of Mastercard’s sandbox program, simplifies how users can convert and use their crypto in real life.
With support for over 10 blockchains, users can now fund prepaid cards using popular stablecoins like USDC and USDt without relying on centralized exchanges or intermediaries.
Kima’s CEO, Eitan Katz, put it best: “Our goal is to eliminate barriers between digital assets and traditional finance.” Their asset-agnostic infrastructure supports everything from public blockchains to private ledgers and traditional banks—making crypto usability smoother than ever.
Even better, compliance and security are built into the system. Kima doesn’t touch user data or keys. Instead, third-party banks handle KYC/AML checks, and each transaction is tagged and verified against local regulations—from the EU’s MiCA rules to Singapore’s standards.
Kima’s inclusion in the European Central Bank’s digital euro project further proves its credibility and vision for a future where crypto and fiat work hand in hand.
With this partnership, Mastercard and Kima are making crypto practical—not just speculative.
Self-custody meets real-world spending. The future is here.