Mastercard UK creates first NFT featuring Jose Mourinho

• The leading payment processor has created its first NFT content, which will be given away to cardholders.
• The NFT features a digital football signed by their global ambassador, Jose Mourinho.

Global digital payment giant Mastercard is making its debut in the non-fungible token (NFT) market. The United Kingdom branch announced Thursday they have created the first-ever NFT content in collaboration with the Portuguese professional football manager.

Jose Mourinho. 

Mastercard is giving away its NFT

Per the announcement, the NFT is an animated digital football signed by Jose Mourinho, who is also the global ambassador for the payment company.  The payment giant doesn’t intend to auction the NFT. However, it will be given away to a lucky UK customer. Only “one lucky Mastercard cardholder in the United Kingdom will be randomly selected to win the NFT.” 

NFTs are digital assets that represent real-world objects ranging from art, music, in-game items to videos, more. The market has attracted lots of attention since the beginning of the year, as many participants are able to flip millions of dollars in trades. There are also some other companies that have given away NFTs, just like Mastercard.

Big bet in crypto 

The signed digital football NFT might be Mastercard’s first-ever NFT; however, the company has previously shown interest in the crypto market. The company stated earlier in February it was planning to enable cardholders the option to make crypto transactions directly on its network. The announcement follows PayPal’s move to support cryptocurrency. 

Additionally, the payment giant now holds partnerships with multiple crypto companies, including exchanges. Recently, Cryptopolitan reported that Mastercard is considering acquiring crypto analytics company, CipherTrace.