MELBOURNE: Mastercard is planning to expand its sponsorship presence in India by getting involved in local sporting events.
The global financial transaction firm currently sponsors sports like golf and football in India.
Mastercard senior vice president, Marketing, Asia Pacific, Sam Ahmed told PTI: "We are assessing some local sports sponsorships and we are currently negotiating.
"We already sponsor entertainment in India ... but we see sports, specially certain type of sports, that enable us to have that conversation with consumers."
Ahmed said that India was going through a massive digital change and time was right for the company to link sports, entertainment and technology together.
"Indian consumers love all three platforms. What you will see from Mastercard is more of a link between the three to really help Indians in their digital journey."
"India is the fastest e-commerce nation in the world and it is critical part of the economy," he said, adding Mastercard would be at the center of that change.
"There will be a lot of digital payments in India that will come through e-commerce," he said.
In Australia, Mastercard introduced a new payment facility for fans to order food and drinks online during the ongoing Australian Open after becoming its official payment partner this year.
"The collaboration with Tennis Australia offers us a way to showcase to consumers the benefits of being a Mastercard cardholder in a tangible way," Ahmed said.
He told PTI the Australian Open was one of the world's favorite major sporting events, with 13% of spectators travelling from overseas, including India.
"The Australian Open is a key tennis event for India, China and other Asian region. There is a growth in viewership by almost 15 per cent year by year across the region," Ahmed added.
"The Happy Slam has fitted in our priceless campaign," he further told the newswire.
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