Mastercard has evolved from a traditional card network into an active organizer of Hungary's fintech ecosystem, linking startups, banks and digital platforms. At the Mastercard Fintech Connect event, Márkus Gergely, country manager for Mastercard Hungary and Slovenia, emphasized that the company now builds solutions and partnerships across the digital economy — from transit entry and payment systems to cybersecurity and joint developments with marketplaces and financial service providers. The event was positioned as a small, "boutique" meeting intended to make ad hoc collaborations more structured and to accelerate openness toward SMEs, data-driven solutions and AI-focused development.
Innovation, AI and trust: three keywords
Kamila Borkowska, Mastercard regional head of business development, explained that they operate in multi-country clusters and work daily with fintech partners. She said that user experience has become table stakes; the next step is thinking in ecosystems: instead of one-function products, more complex, layered platforms are being developed where financial services sit alongside investments and other add-ons within an integrated system.
The other major force is artificial intelligence: Borkowska argued that AI is no longer merely a supporting technology but a business factor in itself, accelerating development and market entry while enabling hyper-personalization. At the same time AI increases the speed and complexity of risks, so the third key concept is trust: cybersecurity and data protection are critical, especially for fintechs that aim to scale and operate internationally.
On market context, she recalled that Covid-19 accelerated digitalization, 2021 brought a correction and a focus on profitability, and since 2023 a gradually more stable, positive trajectory has emerged.
Mastercard programs: Start Path, Engage, Lighthouse
Mastercard supports fintech growth through several programs: Start Path works with globally scalable fintechs to turn pilots and partnerships into live business more quickly; Engage is a vetted partner ecosystem that helps find and integrate the right solutions faster; Lighthouse supports fintech and impact-focused teams in the Nordic–Baltic region to step up via corporate and industry connections.
Intuitech: tangible impact of a partner program
Csontos Tamás, sales director at Intuitech, said the 8.5-year-old company now operates internationally with 250 employees and projects in 11 countries. The firm joined the Lighthouse program last autumn as the only Central European participant, and the membership delivered rapid results: collaborations with Finnish banks, an Amazon partnership formed one week after joining, and an invitation to Slush in Helsinki where they showcased their solution. Feedback and networks from the Scandinavian market provided a stable base for further regional expansion.
Pay&GO and transit: live pilots and user adoption
Györffy Balázs, Mastercard director of business development, cited Budapest's Pay&GO service as a concrete transit example. The system began as a 2023 pilot on the 100E Reptéri Express and the M1 metro; the live trial now covers all Budapest metro lines. Early data — excluding season ticket holders and free travel for under-14s — show that on the first lines to go live, 30–40% of ticket buyers already use this solution. Pay&GO focuses on rapid entry: the system quickly checks card validity and places a low nominal authorization, with actual settlement aggregated at the end of the day. It will later support daily fare capping so the system automatically applies the most favorable fare for the passenger.
Agentic commerce: AI agents and the future of payment
Györffy said that commerce is also entering a new chapter: in agentic commerce AI agents will not only search and recommend products, but carry out purchases on behalf of users. Current pilots typically focus on simple, well-delimited transactions, but the logic is extendable — for example, an agent could automatically buy a ticket for a high-demand event once seats become available, based on pre-set user conditions.
He expects the same learning curve as e-commerce: new channels initially bring uncertainty and security concerns, then standards, controls and consumer-protection mechanisms develop step by step and make the solutions mainstream. This will include a Know Your Agent (KYA) framework, clear and auditable recording of user intent (through biometric authentication or one-click approvals), and legal clarity for transactions so consumer rights like a 14-day withdrawal can be honored.
Conclusion
According to discussions at Mastercard Fintech Connect, Hungary's next fintech phase will be shaped by integrated ecosystems, data-driven solutions and artificial intelligence, while cybersecurity and trust remain prerequisites for scaling and international expansion. Programs such as Start Path, Engage and Lighthouse can provide tangible support for faster market entry, and Intuitech's experience illustrated how a targeted partner program can quickly open international business opportunities.
The article was supported by Mastercard.
