Chainlink’s native token LINK surged around 2.8% on the 24H and 7D charts, hitting a high of $13.70. The upsurge comes after news of a significant partnership with Mastercard hit the market. This deal will allow over 3 billion cardholders to buy crypto directly on-chain, fueling a sharp rally in LINK.
Combined with a rebounding crypto market post-Middle East ceasefire, the news signals renewed optimism in both Chainlink and the broader crypto sector.
Mastercard Partnership: Bridging TradFi and DeFi
According to a July 24 X post, Chainlink and Mastercard have teamed up to integrate on-chain crypto purchases for millions of users. This collaboration will allow more than 3 billion Mastercard customers to make off-chain payments for crypto on-chain purchases.
Several other major players that are part of the partnership are XSwap, Swapper Finance, ZeroHash, Shift4, and Uniswap. They will work to facilitate fiat-to-crypto exchanges. Moreover, Mastercard will deploy Chainlink oracle infrastructure to safely identify transactions.
In response to the news, one of the founders of Chainlink, Sergey Nazarov, emphasized that the unification of traditional finance and decentralized finance is a key task of the company.
The payment network of Mastercard already covers more than 200 countries across the globe. It has also established several high-profile collaborations with crypto platforms as it keeps expanding into the digital assets sector.
Meanwhile, Mastercard joins the long list of institutions that Chainlink, the DeFi oracle, has partnered with in the past years. Other notable partners are Euroclear, Fidelity International, Swift, UBS, and ANZ.
Chainlink’s Network Growth Fuels Bullish Price Prediction
The price of Chainlink has recorded a huge pump as its network activity shoots through the roof. Santiment says that the number of holders has pumped to a new all-time high of over 769,380. This rise in holders is a sign of greater confidence in the project. Interestingly, the wallets that have been active over the last year have declined by 17.3%, indicating a shift to long-term holding.
This drop in activity, combined with rising holder count, indicates that Chainlink may be entering an opportunity zone for long-term investors. Currently, CoinMarketCap data shows that Chainlink’s value has increased by 2.8% in the 7D timeframe. Looking ahead, LINK has support at $12.85–$13.00, with immediate resistance around $13.70.
Weekly technicals show LINK’s RSI has risen to 43.88. However, the indicator must cross the 50 midline to signal bullish price action. A valid breakout above $13.70 could push LINK toward $14.15 in the coming weeks. However, failure to hold support could prompt a pullback to $12.80.
Meanwhile, Henry, a top analyst, in an X post, told his followers that LINK has broken out of a downtrend and has entered an accumulation and consolidation phase. He expects the Chainlink price to rally to $25–$30 in the long term.
How This Partnership Could Affect Chainlink
The Mastercard deal marks a milestone in Chainlink’s growth and the integration of Web2 and Web3 finance. Having a solid technical momentum supporting the token and having visible adoption on-chain, LINK may continue its rally, possibly reaching $14. Still, traders must monitor major support levels and market trends for confirmation of continued upward movement.
