Mastercard has selected Polygon as the first blockchain network to power this rollout, citing its speed, reliability, and payments-ready architecture. Mercuryo will serve as the initial issuer, onboarding verified users and enabling the creation of Mastercard Crypto Credential aliases.
The initiative brings a trusted verification layer directly into self-custody environments, offering consumers a familiar way to send and receive digital assets while retaining full control of their wallets. It marks a significant step toward making self-custody intuitive, secure, and ready for mainstream adoption.
Mastercard Crypto Credential standardizes how blockchain addresses are verified by enabling human-readable aliases that correspond to a verified individual. Mercuryo will perform identity verification and issue the aliases, which users can then link to their self-custody wallets. Users may also request a Mastercard Crypto Credential soulbound token on Polygon, signaling onchain that their wallet belongs to a verified user and supports credential-based transaction processing.
