Visa and MOONTON Games have signed a three-year partnership that makes Visa the Global Payment Partner of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M Series, covering the M8 World Championship in 2027 through M10 in 2029. The deal was announced by MOONTON Games on September 21 from Singapore. For the Philippines, the country that has produced the last six M Series champions, it locks a global payments brand into the tournament its teams keep winning.
What the deal covers
The M Series is MLBB's flagship international competition. MOONTON describes it as the most-watched mobile esports tournament in history, with a record 5.68 million peak concurrent viewers (PCV) at the M7 World Championship in Jakarta. Under the new agreement:
- Visa is the Global Payment Partner for M8 (2027), M9 (2028) and M10 (2029).
- Visa cardholders get preferential access to M Series tickets.
- Cardholders can also win VIP Zone access, meet-and-greets and behind-the-scenes tours.
Neither company disclosed the financial terms. The PR Newswire release frames the tie-up around Visa's reach, noting that it processes payments in more than 200 countries and territories.
Danielle Jin, Chief Marketing Officer at Visa Asia Pacific, said the company is "proud to deepen our partnership with MOONTON Games and MLBB, one of the most remarkable gaming franchises in the world." Tiger Xu, Global Head of MLBB Esports at MOONTON Games, called the multi-year agreement "a natural next step as MLBB Esports enters its next phase of globalisation."
From Jakarta to Istanbul: how the partnership grew
Visa first entered MLBB esports at M7 in Jakarta, Indonesia, so the new deal extends an existing relationship rather than starting one. The release also notes that Visa joined MPL Philippines as an Official Sponsor for Season 18, the current split that began on August 21 with the league's eight franchise teams.
M8 will be the M Series' first edition in Europe. MOONTON's Türkiye Championship announcement earlier this month named Istanbul as the M8 host city, which is why the 2027 tournament is being positioned as the start of MLBB esports' "globalisation" phase. Exact dates for M8 have not been published.
Why this lands hardest in the Philippines
No region has more at stake in the M Series than the Philippines. Based on the championship record, Filipino teams have won six editions in a row:
| Edition | Year | Host | Champion |
|---|
| M2 | 2020 | Singapore | Bren Esports |
| M3 | 2021 | Singapore | Blacklist International |
| M4 | 2022 | Jakarta | ECHO Philippines |
| M5 | 2023 | Manila | AP Bren |
| M6 | 2024 | Kuala Lumpur | Fnatic ONIC Philippines |
| M7 | 2026 | Jakarta | Aurora Gaming |
That streak is why Visa's Philippine involvement started at the league level. Season 18 of MPL Philippines is running now, and its top teams are also the pool for the M8 qualifying path. Separately, MLBB makes its Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya, where the Philippine national team Sibol fields the Team Liquid PH lineup on October 1, per The GAME's schedule.
What Filipino fans should expect
The announced perks are ticket-related, so they matter most when the tournament is within reach. M5 was held in Manila in 2023; M8 in Istanbul is a long-haul trip, so the preferential ticket window and VIP Zone draws will mainly benefit fans who can travel or who follow the tournament online. Visa has not announced any Philippine-specific activation for M8, and MOONTON has not said whether any M Series edition through 2029 will return to Southeast Asia. Until either company says more, the concrete local effect is Visa's Season 18 sponsorship of MPL Philippines, which is already on air.
