Mastercard and Visa make strategic investments in Plaid

Mastercard and Visa have made strategic investments in Plaid, a fintech startup aiming to digitize the banking industry. This move is reminiscent of the digitization that occurred in commerce over the past two decades, where improvements at the network level led to the rise of ecommerce and digital commerce. With this investment, Plaid hopes to accomplish what Mastercard and Visa did earlier, creating a consumer-first financial ecosystem that will improve how people manage their financial lives.