The company’s Small Business Navigator program offers small businesses “real, actionable support,” Ginger Siegel, head of small business in the U.S. at Mastercard, said in a Thursday (May 29) press release.
“With Small Business Navigator, we’re delivering a powerful combination of insights, protection and financial tools that help business owners build toward long-term success,” Siegel said.
The program includes an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot that “acts as a mentor” for business owners; actionable insights and data from the Mastercard Economic Institute and the Mastercard SpendingPulse report; and educational content covering cybersecurity, marketing and digital tools, according to the release.
To help with cybersecurity, Small Business Navigator offers access to My Cyber Risk powered by RiskRecon, which guides small businesses in strengthening their defenses, and personalized recommendations based on their Cybersecurity Assessment Quiz results, the release said.
The program also offers access to financial planning and cost management support through Biz2Credit’s Virtual CFO services as well as the opportunity to be featured on Mastercard’s social media channels, per the release.
“The launch of Mastercard Small Business Navigator reinforces Mastercard’s leadership in delivering tangible, trusted solutions that go beyond payments, supporting small businesses at every stage of their journey,” the release said.
This new program is the latest offering introduced by Mastercard to help small businesses.
The company said in February that it launched credit and debit cards designed for creators and small business owners. These Business Builder cards feature Mastercard’s core small business benefits like Easy Savings, ID Theft Protection, Zero Liability and access to Digital Doors.
In November, Mastercard launched the first of several immersive shopping experiences that it plans to roll out across North America this year and beyond. The first one, which was held in Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada, included a storybook created by Mastercard that tied to the storefront displays and in-store art installations of local stores.
During the same month, the company introduced a platform called Mastercard Biz360 that is designed to help financial and service providers offer their small business customers a way to consolidate the digital tools they use to run and grow their businesses.
