Mastercard announced the official launch of the Lisbon Centre of Excellence for Innovation, „reaffirming the company’s commitment to driving digital transformation, innovation, and the advancement of next generation payment solutions across Europe.” – according to the press release
Mastercard employs around 600 highly skilled technologists at the centre who are dedicated to pioneering initiatives in payments using artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data analytics. These professionals work across a range of technological and support functions—including software engineering, data science, product management, operations, and technical support. The team currently comprises members from 38 nationalities, with 72% of employees being Portuguese, with an average age of 34 years old.
Driving digital transformation
During the launching event, Mastercard demonstrated the first live transaction in Portugal using Agent Pay, Mastercard’s secure agentic commerce framework. This trusted technology allows AI agents to safely initiate and complete transactions on behalf of consumers and businesses by ensuring that every transaction is authorized, secure and transparent for all parties in the payment.
Supported by PayOS using a Mastercard, the company showcased how Agent Pay streamlines the agentic payment process and is poised to transform the way people shop online.
„With an expanding portfolio that goes far beyond payments, Mastercard is setting a global benchmark for technology leadership and digital security. This ongoing transformation is now also driven by the Mastercard Centre of Excellence for Innovation in Lisbon, which works on driving new standards and redefining the future of digital innovation worldwide.” – the company said.
Key capabilities provided by the Portuguese team include advanced cybersecurity solutions, data analytics platforms, fraud prevention technologies powered by AI, tokenization services for secure digital commerce, consulting for digital transformation, identity verification tools, and support for emerging payment models such as agent commerce and stablecoins.
Mastercard’s strategic investments power European innovation
Mastercard has been investing in infrastructure and specialized centres throughout Europe including Madrid, Dublin, Amsterdam and in the company’s European headquarters in Waterloo.
„Today’s presentation follows ongoing investments in Europe, including the announcement late last year of the creation of three new data centres in Paris, representing an investment of €250 million. In the second half of this year, more European payments will be authorized locally through our new data centres. This marks just the first of many steps towards reinforcing Europe’s ability to rely on local, always-on infrastructure.” – Mastercard explained.
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