Chainlink has announced a partnership with Mastercard, enabling over 3 billion cardholders to purchase cryptocurrencies directly onchain through a secure fiat-to-crypto conversion.

Raj Dhamodharan, an executive at Mastercard, highlighted the public's increasing demand for easier access to digital assets, emphasizing the need to lower barriers for crypto adoption.

This collaboration aims to bridge the gap between traditional finance and decentralized finance by utilizing Chainlink's interoperability infrastructure in conjunction with Mastercard's extensive global payment network.

The new platform for this crypto initiative is already live, allowing users to explore its functionalities and encouraging significant participation to promote widespread crypto adoption.

Swapper Finance, powered by Chainlink, has launched a non-custodial platform that gives users greater control and simplicity in managing their digital assets.

The integration involves several key players: Zerohash provides liquidity and infrastructure for fiat-to-crypto conversions, Shift4 Payments handles card processing, and XSwap sources liquidity from decentralized exchanges like Uniswap.

Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov emphasized the importance of this partnership in connecting traditional payment systems with decentralized trading environments, marking a significant step towards mainstream adoption of decentralized finance.

The partnership is expected to benefit from favorable regulatory developments, including the recently passed GENIUS Act, which could enhance stablecoin innovation and adoption.

Following the announcement, the LINK token experienced an approximate 8% price increase, recovering from a recent low, reflecting heightened investor interest in the collaboration.

LINK's price rose from $11.48 to $13.07, driven not only by the partnership news but also by positive market sentiment related to a ceasefire in the Israel-Iran conflict.

In addition to Chainlink and Mastercard, other partners in this initiative include Zerohash, Swapper Finance, Shift4 Payments, and XSwap, all contributing essential services for seamless transaction execution.

The integration of various technologies aims to create a unified and intuitive experience for mainstream payment cardholders to access the crypto market.