FairPlay joins Mastercard Start Path, shaping the future of AI-driven finance

Mastercard just announced the latest cohort of Start Path, its award-winning startup engagement program, and FairPlay has been selected as one of the eight companies pioneering the next generation of financial technology.

Why does this matter? AI is playing an increasingly critical role in financial decision-making—determining who gets approved for a loan, what terms they receive, and even how compliance is maintained. But without the right infrastructure, AI models can reinforce old biases instead of driving better, more inclusive outcomes.

“My vision for the future of financial technology is to build fairness infrastructure for financial services, allowing all financial institutions to de-bias their digital decisions in real time,” says Kareem Saleh, CEO of FairPlay.

As part of the Start Path New Networks program, FairPlay will work with Mastercard and its partners to scale solutions that help financial institutions refine their AI models, fix blind spots, and ultimately improve both revenue and outcomes for consumers.

With AI decision-making under increasing regulatory and public scrutiny, this collaboration raises important questions about the future of financial technology that Saleh can speak on:

• How can AI-driven decisioning improve financial inclusion without increasing risk?
• What role will open banking play in making AI models more accurate and transparent?
• How should financial institutions prepare for a future where AI accountability is a market expectation, not just a regulatory requirement?