Mastercard is launching a sandbox for UK banks and financial institutions to experiment with its latest account-to-account (A2A) instant payments technology, enhancing the payment ecosystem. The sandbox allows for testing new payment flows and functionalities, such as real-time merchant payment confirmations, while adhering to modern data standards to improve fraud detection. This initiative aligns with the UK's National Payments Vision, aiming to modernize payment services and stimulate economic growth.

Mastercard has introduced a new payment solution called Agent Pay, aimed at enhancing agentic commerce by enabling agents to facilitate transactions directly on behalf of customers. This innovation is designed to simplify the payment process and foster greater engagement between consumers and service providers.