Online payment solutions provider AstroPay has launched its new product in Brazil, a Mastercard prepaid card. This move will provide both new and existing AstroPay customers with the ability to pay in any store that accepts Mastercard.

The introduction of this new card in Brazil signifies a strategic relationship between Mastercard, a leader in global payments and AstroPay, a fintech with the mission to ease users’ life with the simplest, most convenient, and secure way of handling their money and getting the most value out of it.

Users will be able to activate and use the prepaid card instantly without any charge and pay in any merchants that accept Mastercard. The card also comes with attractive benefits including cashback and other perks available in the AstroPay platform. Users can use the physical card to pay in stores and withdraw money from an ATM as well as make online payments with the virtual card.

“When it comes to digital money and fintechs, Brazil is one of the most advanced countries in the world, and the partnership with Mastercard honours our long-standing commitment to Brazilians to deliver the simplest solutions to handle money in the most secure and simple way. As we keep on building a strong community of consumers, our focus remains to continue innovating to adapt and streamline payment solutions such as cards into our overall product offering to ensure that the needs of our users are not only met but exceeded,” Guillermo Dotta, CTO & Chief Product Officer of AstroPay, said.

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“As the partner of choice for fintech companies, Mastercard is pleased to work with AstroPay to provide innovative solutions that help advance financial inclusion while offering consumers with a seamless and secure experience,” Thiago Dias, Fintech and Enablers Vice President, Mastercard Latin America and Caribbean, said.

Huobi Global, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has partnered with AstroPay, the online payment solution of choice for millions of users worldwide, to provide fiat-to-crypto payment services for Huobi Global users in Latin America.

Through the partnership, AstroPay will facilitate a secure payment platform that will enable traders on Huobi Global to seamlessly purchase crypto assets using fiat currency.

“Latin America lays claim to a young and vibrant population brimming with enthusiasm for the crypto industry, and we have observed a significant increase in the number of new Huobi Global users from this region. Our collaboration with AstroPay underscores our goal to make the purchase and trading of digital assets a secure, convenient and enjoyable experience for everyone,” Lily Zhang, Chief Financial Officer of Huobi Global, said.

“AstroPay is renowned for its expertise in providing payment services for companies looking to target the diverse Latin American market. Huobi Global users will be able to purchase and sell their crypto assets in local currencies, which will ultimately lead to higher trading volumes and greater engagement within the cryptocurrency sector,” Sara Rita, Chief Commercial Officer of AstroPay, said.

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Huobi Global’s partnership with AstroPay will see the exchange provide users in Latin America with fiat to crypto payment options through AstroPay digital wallet. Huobi Global’s users in the region will be able to purchase and subsequently trade through a variety of payment methods including credit and debit cards, bank transfers, and local alternative options, such as Pix in Brazil and SPEI in Mexico.

AstroPay, the online payment solution of choice for over five million users in the world, has strengthened its digital payment offering in Brazil by delivering the smoothest user journey via the local payment method Pix.

AstroPay has enabled payments via Pix since it was launched in October 2020 amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Created and managed by the Central Bank of Brazil, Pix’s payments volume already makes up more than 80% of debit and credit card transactions in Brazil.

AstroPay will be offering two direct ways to pay with Pix to provide faster, streamlined, and convenient payments for both merchants and users. This includes the Pix native view and Software Developer Kit (SDK) for merchants. The Pix native view directs the user to AstroPay’s checkout straight from the merchant’s site, while the Pix QR code will be shown directly, avoiding users from being redirected to Pix’s site. This option is available to all merchants and has already improved their sales conversion rate by 7% to 15%. The new flow is available to all merchants that have AstroPay’s solution integrated via SDK, which will bring the Pix QR to the merchant’s cashier.

Mikael Lijtenstein, CEO of AstroPay, said: “As an agile fintech company, we strive to provide our users and merchants with the best payment experience and constantly invest in technology to adapt to their needs. This new capability will help merchants to better connect with their users who prefer to pay with Pix, which has revolutionised the payments industry in Brazil. By utilising AstroPay wallet, users will experience quicker and frictionless payment journey with a payment method of their choice.”

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With this new capability, AstroPay continues to bolster its position as a leading digital payment solution provider in Brazil with more than 200 merchants and 1.5 million users in that market alone.