• Mastercard is expanding its blockchain efforts, including hiring a Director of Crypto Flows to lead stablecoin-linked cards and DeFi payment integration.
• The company is deepening partnerships with fintech players such as Ericsson and MetaMask to broaden its role in digital payments.
• Mastercard is working with Cloudflare to extend its cybersecurity offerings across payment and internet infrastructure.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA), trading at $509.39, is leaning into crypto and blockchain infrastructure at a time when traditional card networks are under fresh scrutiny from AI and blockchain related speculation. Over 3 years, the stock has returned 46.6%, and 45.5% over 5 years, while more recent periods have seen a 9.5% decline year to date and…