Mastercard has launched Mastercard Max, an AI-powered assistant designed to help cardholders across Asia Pacific discover and use card benefits they might otherwise overlook, with Citi exploring bringing it to customers in Singapore and Hong Kong SAR.

Benefits people don’t know they have

Mastercard said the launch responds to an “untapped opportunity”: 68 per cent of affluent millennials say they would use their card more if they knew more about the benefits already available to them. Rather than listing benefits in a static menu, Max lets cardholders explore what they are entitled to in their own words, with answers tailored to their specific card, eligibility, location and context.

Built for issuers, not just cardholders

Max is designed to be integrated into issuers’ own mobile banking apps, or connected to existing AI assistants through agent-to-agent capabilities, giving banks a way to drive deeper engagement with cards already in customers’ wallets.

“Rather than simply listing what’s available, Mastercard Max helps people make the most of their cards by connecting them with relevant benefits when they need them. That can make a real difference to how often customers reach for their cards and help build stronger loyalty over time,” said Ms Joyce Bo, Executive Vice President, Core Payments, Asia Pacific at Mastercard.

A Singapore and Hong Kong rollout in the works

In Asia, Citi is exploring bringing Max to customers in Singapore and Hong Kong SAR. Mastercard said Max is already being adopted by issuers including Brazil’s C6 Bank, Saudi Arabia’s SNB Group, South Africa’s Nedbank, Kenya’s I&M Bank and Morocco’s Attijariwafa Bank, giving it an early footprint across multiple markets.