Thales and Mastercard have signed a five-year agreement to work together on transport ticketing and payment activities worldwide.
The firms say their "joint expertise will result in new technologies that will define the future of digital mobility".
Open-loop payments - as opposed to closed-loop ones using special travelcards - are becoming more popular in cities worldwide, with Auckland in New Zealand the latest to announce contactless payment options.
Chapin Flynn, global head of urban mobility at Mastercard says the partnership will "drive increased global ridership, remove rider friction, and lower costs for transit and mobility operators".
The intention is to "foster public mobility adoption and offer cutting-edge technologies and integrated ticketing and payment solutions to transport authorities and operators around the globe", the companies add in a statement.
Mastercard says billions of mobility transactions are processed on its network each year across all modes.
The move will offer "efficiency, reliability and safe infrastructure" to customers, says Jean-Marc Reynaud, head of revenue collection systems at Thales.
