Mastercard has announced a new artist accelerator program that is non-fungible token (NFT)-gated and only accessible to holders of its Mastercard Music Pass NFT. The limited-edition NFT is free until the end of the month and was created in collaboration with Polygon, offering free access to educational materials, unique AI tools, and other experiences. The program was designed to help users better understand and trust how blockchain and digital assets are used, and to connect people and build communities around shared universal passions. Mastercard has been a long-time supporter and early adopter of Web3 technologies and has already selected five artists from different genres globally to participate in the program. This development comes less than two months after both Mastercard and Visa announced that they would be delaying all new crypto and blockchain partnerships until improved market conditions and a more established regulatory framework.

(By SAVANNAH FORTIS)