MasterCard continues to improve payment technology

MasterCard has made payment tech moves on a pair of fronts, enabling smart phone money transfers and paving the runway for international shopping while online.

The card firm has partnered with Borderlinx, an international cross border e-commerce shopping firm, to enable cardholders to access Web commerce in different countries. The two firms allow shoppers to make purchase at U.S. and U.K. retail Websites using MasterCard branded cards. Cardholders can use the Borderlinx platform, which establishes a local address for foreign shoppers, applying tax, duty and delivery charges, and integrating with shipping services to ensure that consumers receive goods when they want them.

If you are buying an item form a merchant in another country, you may not be able to buy that item over the Internet, says Geoff Iddison, group executive for ecommerce and mobile for MasterCard Worldwide, who says there are a number of reasons, such as a merchant not shipping to a non-domestic address or the costs of shipping.

Iddison says the partnership is an attempt to facilitate better access to global online marketplaces. Iddison also says MasterCard will be targeting its member banks to form white label offerings of the service.

Initially launched in the UK, the service will expand to the U.S. and Mexico shortly.

MasterCard also introduced MasterCard MoneySend for Blackberry, which allows people to send money on a P2P basis for a range of informal purchases.

Users sent or request money via their Blackberry through participating banks and credit unions, or when they create a virtual prepaid account through Bancorp Bank. Users then link their existing debit or credit cards, or bank checking accounts, to the new virtual prepaid account and begin sending funds via Blackberry.

Users can accept credit or debit card payments, send money, pay for goods and services, request money from people, manage transaction history and invite other users via a function within the app.