You thought it could not — or should not — be done.

That the old guards of finance and the rebels from the crypto world were destined to orbit different worlds forever.

That, in the words of Kipling, never the twain shall meet.

Yet here we are.

Mastercard — the second largest payments giant — has shook hands with Chainlink’s decentralized oracle network in what might be the most incredible plot twist yet in fintech history. This isn’t just a collaboration; it’s a full-blown reconciliation of two financial cults that are polar opposites.

Imagine:

1) Banks settling transactions against real-time crypto price feeds?

2) SWIFT messages being replaced by smart contracts triggered by oracle-authenticated data?

(You can expand this to a much larger set of use-cases when you relate to the fact that decentralized oracle networks, like Chainlink or Pyth, essentially let smart contracts talk to the real world)

What’s most beautiful about this partnership?

The end users — merchants, cardholders, banks — will never see the gears turning.

Like all profound technology shifts:

The tech recedes into the background.

And something that had earlier appeared complex becomes mundane.

And we will eventually forget there was even a time when these worlds were apart.