Tag: mastercard

Mastercard Renews Partnership with Esports World Cup 2025

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today announced the return of Mastercard as an official event supplier for the 2025 Esports World Cup, the world’s largest esports event, set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24. The renewed partnership underscores Mastercard’s continued commitment to elevating digital experiences, championing youth engagement, and supporting the Kingdom’s rapidly growing gaming ecosystem.

Through the collaboration with the Esports World Cup, Mastercard will introduce a range of immersive on-ground activations and seamless payment solutions designed to enhance the overall fan journey. This will include creating a bespoke version of the Mastercard Gamer Academy, where Mastercard, in collaboration with G2 Esports and Esports World Cup, designed a one-of-a-kind experience that will provide 10 successful applicants with the opportunity to be mentored by professionals on how they could pursue a career in esports.

Further, fans can collect Priceless Points by interacting with the games and activities available at the Mastercard booth for the chance to win ultimate gaming gear that will be rewarded to the top scoring players. Further, there will be live appearances by G2 Esports players to be hosted as fireside chats to talk about areas like pro esports. The brand’s presence will emphasize the intersection of technology, gaming, and culture, anchored by initiatives that highlight and support local Saudi talent.

“Mastercard’s return as a partner reflects the Esports World Cup’s evolution from a tournament into a global cultural platform,” said Mohammed Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Together, we’re creating impactful experiences that go beyond gameplay, uniting youth empowerment, digital inclusion, and immersive fan engagement. Mastercard’s focus on Priceless experiences and innovation makes them an ideal partner to help us inspire the next generation of gamers and connect with fans in meaningful and memorable ways.”

Saud Swar, Country Manager, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and other Levant, Mastercard added, “We are proud to deepen our partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation as we continue to unlock the potential of gaming in the Kingdom. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, Mastercard is committed to connecting people to their passions, driving innovation, and inspiring the next generation. Our priceless experiences help empower youth, promote digital inclusion, and celebrate Saudi Arabia’s vibrant esports culture.”

This partnership builds on Mastercard’s long-standing global support for the gaming and esports industry, including its strategic sponsorship of Riot Games’ League of Legends and VALORANT. It reinforces Mastercard’s leadership in digital payments and its role in shaping future-facing experiences through youth engagement and innovation.

Alongside the tournaments, the surrounding gaming ecosystem continues to grow, including the rise of popular video game marketplaces, where players buy, sell, and trade gaming accounts, skins, and digital goods tied to their favorite esports titles.

The 2025 Esports World Cup will host 25 tournaments across 24 game titles, bringing together over 2,000 elite players and 200 Clubs from more than 100 countries; a level of competition that inspires many casual players to improve their skills through options like Dota 2 boosting services, coaching, and gameplay guides.

To learn more about EWC, visit esportsworldcup.com and follow Esports World Cup Foundation on LinkedIn.

SumUp launches SumUp Pay, offering 0,5% cashback for Irish customers

Global fintech leader, SumUp, has today announced it is expanding its offering with the launch of SumUp Pay for consumers in the Irish market. Through diversifying its offering, SumUp looks to support both the consumer and merchant, reinforcing its commitment to the Irish entrepreneurial landscape and wider economy. This new solution permits online and in-store payments with a virtual Mastercard and the ability to earn 0,5% cashback on every purchase, earning up to €10 per calendar month.

With SumUp Pay, the company now enables consumers to create a free account, accessible via the mobile app, enabling full financial autonomy. Users can instantly access a free virtual Mastercard and top up their account via card or bank transfer. SumUp Pay allows for secure, fee-free payments worldwide, with transactions deducted directly from the balance and verified through biometric authentication like Touch or Face ID.

SumUp Pay offers a straightforward cashback system, giving users 0,5% back on every purchase, with no minimum spend or restrictions. Unlike other services, there are no conditions to meet; users can earn up to €10 per month simply by making everyday purchases at any retailer, both online and at brick and mortar shops.

Other features of SumUp Pay include the ability to easily split bills or send money to friends directly within the app. The peer-to-peer payment feature also supports free instant SEPA transfers, ensuring that funds arrive within minutes. Additionally, SumUp Pay can act as a personal financial coach, helping its users track expenses. The “Space” feature allows users to organise their money by creating multiple spending categories for saving, planning, or limiting expenses. This streamlined management is complemented by detailed reports, enabling users to monitor their spending, set monthly goals, and gain real-time insights into where and how they are spending their money.

“With SumUp Pay, we are providing a simple and accessible solution for managing daily finances. Our goal is to help users regain control of their money while offering tangible benefits such as instant, no-strings-attached cashback. A satisfied consumer becomes a loyal customer, and a loyal customer brings success to merchants,” added Erik Schünemann, Product Lead at SumUp on today’s announcement.

Niall Mac an tSionnaigh, CEO of SumUp Ireland commented: “With the rising cost of living in Ireland, at SumUp we are focused on making life a little easier for both consumers and merchants. We’re committed to providing simple, valuable payment solutions for businesses, while also looking out for the people who shop with them. Our goal is to create a marketplace where everyone is supported, cared for, and able to thrive, helping to build a more self-sufficient, connected community for all.”

Following successful launches of SumUp Pay in other key markets, and building on the momentum of innovations like Cash Advance in the Irish market, SumUp continues to work towards an inclusive ecosystem that bolsters the economy and empowers consumers and merchants alike.

Judopay partners with Mastercard to revolutionise mobile purchases in the post-pandemic environment

Judopay, a leading mobile payments provider, today announces that it’s partnering with Mastercard on its SCA compliant (Secure Customer Authentication, which requires two-factor authentication to ensure it is in line with Europe’s new regulations), Click to Pay solution.

Click to Pay offers consumers and merchants a more convenient and secure guest checkout experience supported by intelligent recognition. It makes it easier and safer for consumers to check out online without having to manually enter their card details every time or store them with multiple merchants.

In a post-pandemic environment, which has accelerated consumers’ use of contactless and mobile payments, this collaboration demonstrates Judopay and Mastercard’s commitment to improving the eCommerce experience, providing rich native components for customers to use within their mobile apps. Along with offering enhanced security, merchants across the Food & Beverage, Mobility and other sectors will also benefit from no additional transaction fees, as well as no additional onboarding or integration.

This solution adds an enhanced way for consumers to pay online via apps, with their mobile devices, and provides a seamless journey for guest checkouts, they can pay with ease on a website or app even if they have never visited it before by accessing their Click to Pay account. Card details are protected through tokensation, which allows payments to be completed without the merchant having to access the consumers personal information.

Using Mastercard Click to Pay, consumers do not have to enter in their card details, name, email address or billing details to complete a purchase, and instead use the details that are already stored in their Click to Pay to pay account. Furthermore, being SCA compliant, Mastercard offers enhanced security, using tokenisation, which reduces merchant risk and overall exposure to fraud.

 Judopay’s CEO, Jeremy Nicholds, commented: “With people getting fully accustomed to using their mobile devices to pay when out and about, for both hygienic benefits and convenience, partnering with Mastercard to enable a Click to Pay solution makes sense as a next step in our relationship. It will be a key strategic partnership as we grow our business across a range of different markets and head into an increasingly digital future”

He added: “Having previously worked with Mastercard to provide their Pay by Bank App solution to our customers last year, using our strong relationship, we will work together in helping businesses to continually adapt to a touch-free economy.”

Scott Abrahams, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Mastercard UK & Ireland commented: “The new digital age spawns a fresh set of players who are keen to co-create and innovate on our network. Therefore, providing a single point of entry to technology, products and partnerships, as well as flexibility, is the company’s priority.

“Mastercard has been actively expanding its platform capabilities through the Mastercard Developers portfolio, adding a multitude of differentiated services to power new ways to pay, enhance the customer experience and infuse trust across the payments ecosystem.”

To learn more about the Judopay, please visit: judopay.com