Mastercard expands support for self-custody crypto wallets with Mercuryo

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Mastercard has launched a new euro-denominated debit card that allows users to spend cryptocurrencies stored in personal custodial wallets at more than 100 million Mastercard merchants worldwide. The move builds on the company’s growing efforts to support non-custodial wallets and bridge traditional finance with crypto.

The global payments giant has partnered with European crypto payment infrastructure provider Mercuryo to offer the new card. Allows spending of self-owned cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin direct from non-custodial wallets without requiring users to transfer funds to a centralized exchange first.

Self-care comes first

This collaboration follows Mastercard’s pilot program with the main self-custody wallet MetaMask in early August. In May, Mastercard unveiled the “Mastercard Crypto Credential,” making it easier to send and receive crypto using aliases, as part of its efforts to assimilate blockchain into traditional financial frameworks.

The company is increasingly focusing on supporting self-custody solutions that allow users to maintain full control of their crypto assets without relying on third-party custodians.

Christian Rau, Mastercard’s senior vice president of crypto and fintech, said the partnership aims to break down the barriers between blockchain and conventional payments.

“We offer consumers who want to spend their digital assets an easy, reliable and secure way to do so, wherever Mastercard is accepted,” explained Rau.

Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard’s blockchain lead, noted that supporting self-custody addresses the complexities of buying and selling cryptocurrencies through centralized exchanges — a process many cryptocurrency holders try to avoid. The new card offers an alternative for users who prefer to maintain direct control over their assets.

Crypto adoption, real world utility

While expanding crypto adoption, Mastercard services come with associated fees. The new card issued by Mercuryo has an issuance fee of €1.6, a monthly maintenance fee of €1 and a discount fee of 0.95%. These costs reflect the infrastructure required to connect self-custodial crypto wallets to traditional payment networks.

By enabling direct spending of cryptos held by millions of merchants, Mastercard positions itself as a key bridge between decentralized digital assets and everyday commerce. This move could accelerate the mainstream adoption of self-custodial wallets while expanding real-world utility for crypto.

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