Mastercard expands its European Tech Hub in Dublin, reinforcing its commitment to Europe's digital future

Mastercard is expanding its European Tech Hub in Dublin with the opening of a second office building at its Leopardstown campus — an innovation engine for the technologies that will power the next era of payments and commerce.

The new building, Two South County, was officially opened today by Taoiseach Micheál Martin alongside Mastercard senior executives Michael Miebach, CEO; Kelly Devine, President, Mastercard Europe; Ed McLaughlin, President and Chief Technology Officer and Ken Moore, Chief Innovation Officer.

The expansion marks a new chapter in Mastercard’s nearly 20-year presence in Ireland and in its work to build the future of payments in Europe, for Europe. Since establishing operations in Ireland in 2008 with just 36 employees, Mastercard has grown its Dublin workforce to more than 2,000 talented technologists from across the world.

Working as part of Mastercard’s global technology network, the Dublin teams have helped develop key technologies behind everyday payments made by millions of people around the world — including the tokenisation platform that powers wallet payments. With Mastercard’s continued investment in Dublin, supported by the Irish government and IDA Ireland, the teams are now playing a leading role in shaping the future of payments, from agentic commerce and quantum-resilient payments to digital security and network resilience.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: "The opening of Mastercard’s new office is a strong endorsement of Ireland’s reputation as a leading location for innovation, technology and digital transformation. Mastercard has played a key role in shaping the future of payments and financial technology globally, and its continued expansion in Ireland highlights the strength of our talented workforce, pro-business environment and vibrant technology ecosystem. I warmly welcome this investment and look forward to seeing Mastercard continue to innovate and grow from its Irish base in the years ahead."

"Europe has always been a driving force in payments innovation and Dublin sits at the heart of that story for Mastercard," said Ed McLaughlin, President and Chief Technology Officer at Mastercard. "From AI and cybersecurity to next-generation payments infrastructure that brings greater resilience and speed to commerce, the work happening here is helping build the future. This expansion of our European Tech Hub reflects the growth of our teams in Dublin, our confidence in Ireland's talent, and our ambitions for the years ahead."

The Dublin expansion forms part of a wider programme of investment in Europe’s digital payments future. Today, Mastercard also announced that it is:

• Delivering on its commitment to expand and localise critical payments operations in Europe and has now started to process domestic transactions in France, Germany and Spain through its new European infrastructure. More countries will follow from next year, with the aim of bringing all components of local transactions into Europe by 2030.
• Developing offline payment capabilities to enhance Europe’s payments resilience. All new Mastercard European credit and debit cards issued from next year – and all new payment terminals powered by its acquiring partners at essential retailers such as supermarkets and petrol stations – will have to support offline payments. This means people will be able to keep buying essentials during internet outages and power cuts.
• Investing to keep the primary copy of intra-EEA transaction data in Europe.
• Strengthening its European governance, recruiting a third independent European board member, who will serve as Chair of the Mastercard Europe Board of Directors.
  
  

"The technology developed in Dublin is helping solve real challenges for people and businesses across Europe and around the world,” said Kelly Devine, President, Mastercard Europe. “This expansion underlines our focus on turning innovation into secure, resilient payment experiences that customers can rely on.”

Michael Lohan, CEO of IDA Ireland said: “Mastercard’s decision to expand its European Tech Hub in Dublin with a new office is a strong vote of confidence in Ireland and in the talent and innovation that have supported the company’s growth here for almost 20 years. This latest investment positions the Dublin team to play an even greater role in developing exciting new technologies that will shape the future of payments, while further strengthening Ireland’s thriving financial services sector. IDA Ireland looks forward to continuing to support Mastercard as it enters this next phase of growth.”