Citi and Mastercard to deliver global cross-border payments

By Gloria Mathias

Citi and Mastercard have announced a collaboration to offer cross-border payments to Mastercard debit cards in 14 receiving markets worldwide, with plans for further expansion.

Leveraging Citi’s WorldLink® Payment Services and Mastercard Move’s money transfer capabilities, Citi clients can make near-instant, full-value payments with near 24/7 availability to consumers using their Mastercard debit card details.

Citi is the first global bank to enable cross-border payments to Mastercard debit cards using Mastercard Move, tapping into the speed, security, and transparency of the Mastercard network.

The integrated solution is available to Citi clients across 65 origination countries in the corporate, financial institution, eCommerce, and commercial sectors. It helps make cross-border payments simpler, faster, more efficient, and more accessible. The solution supports an array of use cases, including insurance payouts, airline refunds and compensation payments, on-demand payments to freelance and gig-economy workers, eCommerce payments to merchants, and refunds to customers. Mastercard’s worldwide presence will help extend Citi’s reach globally.

“As the global economy has become increasingly digital, our continued investment in the future of cross-border payments helps us drive innovation at scale for our clients. This collaboration builds on our longstanding relationship with Mastercard and leverages the strength of our global proprietary network combined with other leading digital wallet and card capabilities to enable our clients to make cross-border payments as though there are no borders, no currencies, no constraints,” shared Debopama Sen, Head of Payments, Citi Services.

“Cross-border payments are a key area of growth for Mastercard, and we are constantly innovating to provide payment solutions that better cater to the needs of our global customers. By powering fast and secure cross-border transfers to Mastercard debit cards, our collaboration with Citi marks a significant milestone in bringing the ease and simplicity of domestic payments to the cross-border payment space,” said Alan Marquard, Head of Transfer Solutions at Mastercard.

This collaboration expands Citi’s payout offering, with payment destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and U.S. domestic transfers. WorldLink Payments Services enables clients to make cross-border payments in over 135 currencies and multiple payment methods, from traditional wires and ACH to cross-border instant payments, digital wallets, and now Mastercard debit cards.