PRIVACY: Mastercard Wins a Patent to Link Cryptocurrency With Fiat Accounts.

With Mastercard’s latest patent, we’re getting closer to using our cryptocurrency credit cards to purchase goods. According to the filing, the method addresses the storing of both fiat and cryptocurrencies under one profile. This means, as a user, you’d have two linked accounts with your bank — one for your fiat wealth, and one for crypto.

In the document, Mastercard justifies the patent explaining how users have increasingly preferred cryptocurrencies to fiat currencies due to its anonymity. The company believes some consumers have chosen digital currencies in an effort to prevent fraud.

However, Mastercard argues cryptocurrencies ensure very little protection to the receivers of funds. While traditional fiat payments are processed in a matter of seconds, crypto transactions can sometimes take as long as ten minutes. If you’re trying to pay with cryptocurrencies at a retail store, for example, that delayed confirmation can be an issue.

Additional, the document states people are taken aback by cryptocurrencies and the blockchain because they’re so different from traditional payment methods. For that reason, combining systems already in place for fiat currencies with the digital assets could potentially promote adoption while retaining the benefits of decentralization.

Smart.