US credit card company Mastercard Incorporated reported fourth quarter and full year 2021 income on Thursday that beat the most recent releases and topped investor expectations. Full year net income came in at 8.7 billion dollars, versus 6.4 billion dollars the year before. For the fourth quarter, the figure was 2.4 billion dollars, up from 1.8 billion dollars in the same quarter the year before. “We are optimistic about the coming year as consumers, businesses and governments have become more adaptable to the changing environment,” said Michael Miebach, Mastercard chief executive. The company…