Mastercard Powers Rakuten Viber Instant Money Transfer in Hungary

In October 2019, Mastercard and Rakuten Viber announced the launch of an instant money transfer service within the Viber messaging app in Hungary, described as a fintech world premiere. The partnership enabled Viber's users to send money to contacts directly through the messaging platform, powered by Mastercard's payment rails and technology. This represented a significant embedded finance deployment, integrating financial services into a non-financial consumer application with a large existing user base.

Hungary served as the pilot market for the service, with potential for broader European and global expansion. Mastercard contributed its payment processing infrastructure and regulatory compliance framework, while Viber provided the consumer-facing platform and distribution channel. The partnership demonstrated how card networks were positioning themselves as embedded finance enablers for messaging and social platforms.

No specific financial terms of the partnership were disclosed. The initiative highlighted the growing trend of payments being embedded into everyday digital experiences beyond traditional banking and fintech apps.