Binance and Mastercard to Launch Prepaid Card in Inflation Battered Argentina

On August 4, Binance announced a partnership with Mastercard (MA) to launch the "Binance Card" in the economically troubled country of Argentina.

The prepaid card aims to bridge the gap between cryptocurrencies and conventional transactions, claims the statement. It was also mentioned that Argentina was the first country in Latin America (LATAM) to receive the items.

Binance Card is the company's most recent effort to broaden the use of bitcoin and electronic payments, but it is still under development.

Worldwide Payments Using Crypto Cards

Everyone in the country who has a valid national ID card may conduct bitcoin transactions and pay bills using the Credencial Payments credit card. More than 90 million physical and online Mastercard companies will accept the card globally.

The retailer will get a real-time fiat conversion of the bitcoin balance on the card. Additionally, cardholders may get up to 8% in bitcoin cashback on certain purchases, as well as 0% ATM withdrawal costs. Users may see and manage transactions and payments via the Binance website and mobile app.

According to Walter Pimenta, Executive Vice President of Products and Innovation at Mastercard Latin America, the company's "operation with digital currencies builds on our robust basis to give choice and peace of mind when clients buy and pay."

Payments are one of the first and most obvious uses for cryptocurrencies, but Maximiliano Hinz, general director of Binance in Latin America, said that adoption still has a lot of room to grow.

As Argentinians deal with increasing inflation and increased living costs, the decision was reached. 

According to Trading Economics, the country's astonishing 64 percent inflation rate in June was among the highest in the whole world. 90 percent is predicted to be reached by year's end.

Many people have already begun to hold dollar-pegged stablecoins like Tether (USDT) and Circle's USDC in order to hedge against the Peso's fast devaluation. Since this time last year, the Peso's value against the US dollar has decreased by more than a third. As a result of increased demand, stablecoins are more costly on Argentine exchanges.

The president of Argentina has swore in three new economics ministers in the last month. Sergio Massa has pledged to stop the excessive money creation that fuels inflation.

Markets for cryptocurrencies grow

The cryptocurrency markets have stayed steady over the last 24 hours, with a little dip in total capitalization to $1.1 trillion. Since their seven-week and weekend highs, the market has lost over $50 billion.

In response to the announcement, the BNB token on Binance performed strongly, bucking the daily fall with a gain of 2.5 percent and climbing back to levels above $300. BNB has fared considerably better than its rivals during the crypto storm, having "only" lost 55 percent of its value from its peak in May 2021.