With Qatar quickly expanding its influence and ambitions to become a global hub for commerce and technology, payments giant Mastercard is aiming to bolster the fintech ecosystem in the country.
To find out more about how Mastercard is developing digital payments in and around Qatar, Mark Walker, editorial director at The Fintech Times, sat down with J.K. Khalil, division president for East Arabia at Mastercard, who focuses on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Pakistan, helping build robust payment ecosystems, drive innovation, boost financial inclusion and foster strategic partnerships in the region.
Speaking at Web Summit Qatar 2025, Khalil discussed how the event, and others in the region, can support the maturing tech and fintech ecosystems in the Middle East. “Events like these bring a lot of ecosystem players together. We’re seeing a lot of founders and entrepreneurs here, as well as banks and telcos, exploring and sharing ideas while also interacting with large established players like Mastercard, which has something to say about data, AI and the future of commerce.”
Khalil also explained that, even for Mastercard, it remains important to “always be on the lookout” for new ideas and fresh perspectives. The payments giant has a global platform where it invites fintechs and startups to engage in its Start Path programme, which provides global support for startups.
In December 2024, Mastercard also completed its acquisition of Recorded Future, in a move to bolster its cybersecurity services offerings. “It participates in the cybersecurity world and supports a lot of governments, as well as a large number of players globally, to prevent cyberattacks and identity theft by merging information from the deep web, but also the real web,” Khalil explained.
Announced at Web Summit Qatar
Throughout the four-day event, Mastercard also unveiled some new announcements and partnerships in the region. Khalil offered a breakdown of these and further explained how these moves support the growing ecosystem in the region.
“Mastercard has just signed an agreement with Sadad, a local fintech, to support it with our gateway technology to enable seamless, safe and secure payments to the merchants, and large participants here in Qatar,” he explained.
“We were also excited to announce a couple of major breakthroughs and new technologies that will come to market, alongside our partner, Doha Bank. We announced the launch of Mastercard Move, which is our portfolio of payment technologies for cross-border remittances that help us to move money person-to-person, person-to-business and business-to-business – Doha Bank becomes the first bank to launch it.”
Off the back of the successful FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Mastercard has continued to champion former Barcelona and Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi as an important ambassador for its brand.
“At Web Summit Qatar, Mastercard and Doha Bank launched our Messi co-branded card. This is an exciting one because we’ve had Messi as a global ambassador for Mastercard for the last seven years. It’s cool to see his face on cards in Qatar because it allows local consumers to unlock their passion for the beautiful game. Whether it’s access to special merchandise, discounts or access to UEFA games, Doha Bank and Mastercard will be able to unlock around the brand of Messi and UEFA in general.”
Merging cultural experiences with finance
Finally, Khalil also shared his enthusiasm about the launch of the new EEMEA Mastercard Academy Hub in Doha.
“This is a regional hub for our customers and partners to bring their professionals and benefit from the city as an up-and-coming tourism hub, and sports and culture hub. They’ll also gain access to expertise that enables banking, commerce and merchant professionals to get exposure to the latest trends, strategies and insights around fintech, payments and banking.
“The Mastercard EEMEA Academy will be another pillar to support the fintech ecosystem – it’s all about talent attraction. The more we attract talent here, the more they understand the value proposition of Qatar, and the more we can create a beautiful offering that mixes passion with content and thought leadership.”
Khalil also highlighted the importance of merging experiences to achieve this. “We sponsor the McLaren Formula One team, so at the next Grand Prix at Doha in November, we’ll be able to bring together two priceless experiences – professionals from around EEMEA will be flying in to attend the education course, as well as to experience the Grand Prix from the McLaren lounge.”
