2023 in pictures

In April, the nonprofit Superhumans, supported in part by Mastercard, opened a new clinic and modern war trauma center in Lviv to provide free psychological and medical support for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians living with prosthetics as well as facial reconstruction and rehabilitation. The group works with British technology manufacturer Open Bionics to fit patients with custom-made bionic limbs called Hero Arms that can grip, grab, pinch and offer high-fives, thumbs-up and fist bumps. “We want them to see themselves as superhumans, proud of their experience, not embarrassed by their injuries," said Superhumans co-founder Olga Rudneva. "That is part of returning freedom to Ukraine.” Read more here. (Photo courtesy of Superhumans)

Plastic payment cards are only a tiny fraction of the plastic waste problem, but with billions of cards in circulation, it is a space where the payments industry can make meaningful change. In a first move for a payment network, Mastercard announced in April it would require all newly-produced Mastercard payment cards be made from more sustainable materials, including recycled or bio-sourced plastics, by 2028. And in June, the company established a blueprint for plastic card recycling along with a pilot card recycling program in the U.K. with HSBC. Cardholders can drop off any expired payment card into secure, dedicated collection boxes inside the bank branches, which shreds the cards into tiny pieces, photo above, ensuring no card information can be stolen and the build-in chip is destroyed. The plastic shreds are then melted and extruded into pellets, flakes or powders that can be used to fabricate other materials. Read more here. 

Trevor Noah, right, philanthropist Melinda French Gates, Microsoft Vice Chairman Brad Smith, Paralympic medalist Ade Adepitan, left, and other private-sector and social-sector leaders shared insights on gender equity, climate change and financial and digital inclusion at April's Global Inclusive Growth Summit, hosted by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C. Noah challenged the notion that inclusive growth and financial inclusion are primarily about charity. People being left out of markets is a failing of those markets: When more people are included, that’s not inclusive growth, but really “complete growth,” he said. Read more here. 

Ninety percent of Gen Z identify as gaming enthusiasts, and the global games market is expected to generate $188 billion in revenue in 2023, according to one recent report. Mastercard continued to support this passion by building on its League of Legends esports sponsorship, which launched in 2018. In June, the company announced it would also sponsor Valorant Champions Tour — Valorant is the fastest growing esport in the world — and in November launched the Mastercard Gamer Academy.  It will provide 10 gamers the connections, mentorship and skills needed to pursue their passion for esports as a career while fostering a more inclusive gaming ecosystem. Meanwhile, Mastercard continues to collaborate with other major players in the space to level up the gaming experience, including a partnership with global video game commerce company Xsolla to improve checkout, simplify in-game currency gifting and more. Read more here. 

In 2020, Mastercard made a commitment to provide 25 million women entrepreneurs with the products and services that can help them grow their businesses, and in June, the company announced it reached its goal, although more work and support will continue. Among the initiatives launched to support this goal, Mastercard Strive empowers small businesses to get capital, go digital and grow their networks and know-how — all with the goal of building more resilient enterprises for the future. Sparkle Lighting founder Thalia Shaw was often overwhelmed by the digital side of her business and has depended on mentoring through Strike U.K.'s program partner Digital Boost to grow, recently working with a content marketing expert on SEO marketing to drive traffic to her website and understand her customers better. “There’s no denying that starting a business on your own is hard," she says. "With so many resources out there it’s so challenging to separate the wheat from the chaff and know which resources are the ones that will really help you take your business to the next level.” Read more here. 

In August, Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach — second from right, with, from left, Dennis Chang, division president of Greater China, Ling Hai, co-president of International Markets, and Ari Sarker, Asia Pacific president — visited China to meet with government and business leaders on ways the company could support the country's payments ecosystem. In November, Mastercard, through its joint venture entity Mastercard NUCC, received formal approval to start domestic bankcard clearing activity in China. (The banner reads Mastercard China, but it also has another meaning: "Everything is attainable.") Read more here. 

In the wake of devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Morocco and intense flooding in Greece, Libya and beyond in 2023, Miebach was invited to speak before the U.N. Security Council in New York City in September to share insights on how the private sector can harness partnerships, technology and a commitment to capacity building to respond to disasters and build resilience. "It is about putting the whole of our businesses into service," he said. "That includes activating our creativity, technology, relationships, data science and know-how to make it happen — again and again." Cindy McCain, who heads the World Food Programme, a Mastercard philanthropic partner, also spoke to the Security Council. Read more here. (Photo courtesy U.N.) 

In September, Mercedes-Benz became the world's first automaker to integrate Mastercard Secure Card on File for Commerce Platforms technology for online payments into its vehicles, enabling drivers to use a fingerprint sensor to make seamless and secure digital payments at thousands of service stations in Germany. Meanwhile, tap-and-go transit payments continue to take off in markets around the world, with Netherlands launching OVPay in June, believed to be the first nationwide open-loop transit system in the world – anyone can use their card or mobile wallet to ride anywhere in the country. Mastercard worked with banks to put in place mobility transaction processing rules and ensure that the more than 55,000 validators across the country’s network could work with contactless cards and smartphones. Read more here and here.

AI was on everyone's brain this year. In December, Mastercard and Duke Corporate Education gathered experts, including Raj Seshadri, right, president of Data & Services for Mastercard, with Fortune Media CEO Alan Murray, left, for a summit called “Leading with AI: Shaping a Human-Centric Future." They shared insights on AI’s impact on education, technology development and the workplace. Read more here.

In 2023, thousands of Mastercard employees volunteered 117,000 hours (and counting!), lending their time, skills and passions to improving people's lives – in their own communities and across the world. That included working to protect humanitarian agencies from cyberattacks, bringing clean water to villages in Uganda and India, personally delivering earthquake relief in Morocco, teaching STEM to hundreds of girls in El Salvador through the company's award-winning Girls4Tech program, and spending three days climbing Mount Olympus, above, to raise money for The Smile of the Child NGO, based in Athens. Mastercard recognized these volunteers and others with its CEO Force for Good Awards. Read more here.