Banks have notoriously been steadfast in their opposition to cryptocurrencies, and this is for a very good reason. The peer-to-peer economic marketplace of digital currencies is a direct threat to the current financial monopoly held by banks and other financial institutions. Which is why it was surprising when an executive at Mastercard said that the credit card issuer was open to the overall use of cryptocurrency. However, there is a major catch to this announcement.
THE CATCH
It appears that the financial juggernaut has now changed their tune, but the reality is that they have not. Speaking to the Financial Times, Mastercard executive Ari Sarker says that the company is “very happy” to consider helping the use of cryptocurrencies, but only as long as those virtual currencies are issued by central banks.