Mastercard CFO discusses opportunities for data analytics, ID verification, CBDCs

The trend of consumers and businesses switching to digital payments and away from cash and checks, accelerated by the pandemic, gives Mastercard (MA) a "greater opportunity" to deliver services, especially data analytics and digital ID services, Mastercard Chief Financial Officer Sachin Mehra said during the MoffettNathanson Payments, Processors and IT Services Summit.The company's 2019 $3.2B Nets acquisition brought a set of infrastructure capabilities and applications capabilities, especially bill payments, he said.Its Finicity acquisition in late 2020 gives Mastercard more tools for open-banking that establish connectivity between bank accounts and provides more access to fintechs and the banking universe.It brings in applications for credit decisioning and credit scoring, mostly focused on the mortgage space but also relevant for broader credit areas, Mehra said. He sees Finicity as a complement to credit bureaus rather than a competitor.And its April purchase of Ekata provides identity verification products.In central bank digital currencies ("CBDC"), Mastercard