MoonPay, an encrypted start-up company, has appointed former Coinbase and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) executive Mike Lempres as a board member. The company announced on Thursday that Lempres has joined the board of MoonPay USA LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MoonPay Inc., the parent company of MoonPay.<br>Lempres previously served as Coinbase's Chief Policy Officer and left Coinbase in 2019 to join a16z, where he served as a resident executive for over two years. Lempres still serves as a board member of Coinbase, Bitstamp, and crypto-friendly bank Silvergate Bank. (The Block)

On October 26th, as reported by CoinDesk, Mastercard announced at the Money20/20 event in Las Vegas that the company has partnered with the cryptocurrency and NFT payment application MoonPay to explore how the Web3 world based on blockchain can connect with consumers and establish loyalty.

MoonPay announced a partnership with Mastercard aimed at promoting web3 innovation and strengthening consumer connections. MoonPay and Mastercard will explore how Web3 tools can enhance experiential marketing (including Mastercard's famous sponsorship portfolio) to establish new ways of connecting with consumers. MoonPay will also integrate Mastercard's compliance-friendly cryptographic credential system and integrate Mastercard's payment technologies such as sending and clicking payments. In addition, Otherlife, a subsidiary of MoonPay that provides Web3 creative agency services, development, strategy, and experiential services, will play a key role in this collaboration. It is reported that Mastercard first partnered with MoonPay in 2022 as part of a plan to allow cardholders to purchase NFTs.

Manhattan's Seaport District has launched a scavenger hunt with NFT rewards in collaboration with Moonpay and Howard Hughes Corporation. The aim is to increase engagement in the tourist-friendly area and introduce the benefits of digital assets. Participants must scan QR codes in ten hidden areas to unlock NFTs and have the chance to win weekly prizes.

On August 29th, Web3 infrastructure company MoonPay established an investment department that will focus on early-stage startups in the Web3, gaming, and related fintech fields. The investment firm is called MoonPay Ventures and will primarily invest between $100,000 and $1 million, targeting seed and Series A funding. Abhay Mavalankar, Vice President of Corporate Development and Investment at MoonPay, stated that the fund has already invested in over 25 companies, including BCB Group, Ledger, BRUT, BeatClub, absolute labs, Create/OS, BridgeTower Capital, and Mythical Games.

According to an official announcement, Binance.US has adopted the stablecoin USDT, which is pegged to the US dollar, as the new trading base asset instead of the US dollar. Through partnerships with third-party payment providers such as MoonPay, Binance.US has launched the "Buy and Sell Cryptocurrency with USDT" feature on its mobile app and will later offer this feature on its website.

Bloomberg reported that as regulatory agencies increase their scrutiny of cryptocurrency companies, many banks have cut off their partnerships with the cryptocurrency exchange Binance.US. Currently, Binance.US is using the cryptocurrency startup MoonPay as an alternative solution. Visiting MoonPay will provide Binance.US users with another way to exchange US dollars for cryptocurrencies: they will be able to use debit cards or credit cards, Apple Pay, or Google Pay to purchase Tether, and then use these stablecoins to purchase other tokens.

Cryptocurrency payment provider MoonPay has registered in Ireland as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP). VASP-approved providers can offer fiat-to-crypto onramp solutions in Ireland, including five services such as exchange between digital assets and fiat currencies, exchange between digital assets and other digital assets, etc. However, at present, MoonPay is only authorized to provide the service of exchange between digital assets and fiat currencies.

A class action lawsuit is accusing cryptocurrency payment company MoonPay of colluding with Yuga Labs, the developer of Bored Ape Yacht Club, and several celebrities to inflate the value of NFTs. The witness claims to have been one of the few compliance employees at the company who was granted "additional access to files and data related to MoonPay customer financial transactions" during 2022. The complaint alleges that they were unable to find any information on celebrity clients, including basic personal profile information, compliance data, or any transaction history.

MoonPay CEO Ivan Soto-Wright has been revealed as the person behind a mysterious $500,000 donation to a super PAC supporting Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. The donation was made by an LLC named PassionForest and became the subject of a complaint filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). The complaint alleged that PassionForest was used as a straw donor to illegally funnel money into the PAC. MoonPay's spokesperson denied any wrongdoing and stated that Soto-Wright personally donated the funds through the LLC, which is not affiliated with a Chinese flower vendor of the same name. Suarez, who is running for President, has been a crypto advocate and has met Soto-Wright on multiple occasions.