Mastercard is preparing for the future of transactions by planning to support cryptocurrency transactions across its network. This comes at a time when these digital assets are becoming a more important part of the payments world, especially during Bitcoin’s recent surge in value. In a blog post, Mastercard says, “We are preparing right now for the future of crypto and payments, announcing that this year Mastercard will start supporting select cryptocurrencies directly on our network. This is a big change that will require a lot of work. We will be very thoughtful about which assets we support based on our principles for digital currencies, which focus on consumer protection and compliance.” The company goes on to say that its philosophy on cryptocurrencies is straightforward: It’s ab...