Mastercard Patents Cover Crypto Risk Scoring and Private Transfers

Mastercard has obtained two U.S. patents for systems that assess cryptocurrency transfer risk and process blockchain transactions with limited visibility into transaction details. One estimates how a proposed transfer could change a user’s wallet risk score; the other uses a central balance check designed to prevent double-spending.

The first patent, US 12,784,054 B2, describes analyzing the blockchain histories of both parties to a proposed transfer. The system then estimates how the transfer would affect the user’s wallet risk score. That estimate is intended to help identify potential links to money laundering or other illicit funds before the transfer is completed.

The second patent, US 12,784,039 B2, describes a private transaction system that limits who can see transaction information. A central authority checks a participant’s balance and approves the transaction. The balance check is designed to prevent double-spending, while restricted visibility protects the privacy of transaction details.

The patents address different points in a transfer process. One focuses on estimating whether a proposed movement of funds could change a wallet’s risk profile; the other describes checking a balance as a transaction is approved. Both concern crypto or blockchain transactions, but the first focuses on potential links to illicit funds and the second on privacy and double-spending prevention.

Mastercard also announced its Stablecoin Security risk-screening service for financial institutions on Oct. 19. The service is intended to help assess risks across wallets and blockchains before funds move onchain. Borderless.xyz and Keyrails are its first partners, and Mastercard expects the service to be commercially available worldwide in 2027.