Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has met with the President and Chief Operating Officer of Crypto.com, Eric Anziani, at Gudaibiya Palace where he presented His Royal Highness with the company’s new Mastercard prototype and is regarded as the first of its kind in the Middle East.

Crypto.com which recently secured a crypto payment service provider license in Bahrain partnered with Mastercard to directly issue cards on Mastercard’s network. It is a principal license that allows Crypto.com to launch a card in Bahrain powered by Mastercard. The new program will leverage Mastercard’s trusted, scalable and secure payments network to enable the crypto exchange customers to use their card at over 150 million in-store and online locations worldwide. Users can easily fund their cards through the Crypto.com app using e-money wallets or third party-issued credit and debit cards.

The innovative payment product will be available across all five Crypto.com card tiers, including Black Obsidian, offering rewards up to 8% on spending and will be denominated in USD.

During the meeting, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad emphasized the Kingdom’s commitment to advancing the financial services and digital technology sectors, both of which are priorities that contribute to supporting the Kingdom’s comprehensive development under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister highlighted the significance of digital transformation in driving progress across key economic sectors to realise the Kingdom’s aspirations. He also reaffirmed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s commitment to attracting international companies across promising sectors, strengthening its regional and international position, and expanding growth across various industries.

Crypto.com President, Anziani concluded by expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to meet His Royal Highness and extended his wishes for the Kingdom of Bahrain’s continued progress and prosperity.

The Minister of Finance and National Economy, HE Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, and the Governor of Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), HE Khalid Ebrahim Humaidan, also attended the meeting.