Mastercard, the 2nd largest payments network in the world

Mastercard is one of the world’s largest financial services companies in the global payments industry. It works with businesses and governments around the world in payments, and is regarded the 2  biggest payments network, ranked behind Visa. Payment transactions are facilitated via its proprietary global payments network, typically involving a merchant, the Mastercard account holder, and their respective financial institutions. Payments are made either with debit cards, credit cards, or even prepaid cards.

Market capitalisation

Mastercard has a reported market cap of $420 billion and revenue of just over $26 billion making it one of the world’s most valuable brands.

A brief history of this multi-billion dollar corporation

Mastercard’s roots can be traced back to the late 1940s when several American banks began using special paper that could be used as cash in local shops. Over the course of the next ten years, various franchises emerged where a single bank in a major city would work with selected merchants to accept cards as payment. In 1966, one of these groups established the Interbank Card Association (ICA), which eventually became MasterCard International.

The ICA was not controlled by one bank, instead it was governed by member committees. These committees were responsible for setting rules for authorisations, clearing, and settlement processes. They also managed the marketing, security, and legal aspects of the organisation.

Global growth and expansion

In 1968, the ICA initiated its global expansion by partnering with Banco Nacional in Mexico and forming an alliance with Eurocard in Europe, with Japanese banks also joining that year. By the late 1970s, ICA had members across Africa, Australia, and beyond, prompting a rebrand to MasterCard International to reflect its international ambitions. 

The 1980s saw further growth in Asia and Latin America, including the issuance of the first payment cards in China and the Soviet Union. In 1985, MasterCard acquired the Cirrus ATM network and launched Maestro, the first online point-of-sale debit network in 1991.

Following a merger with Europay International in 2002, MasterCard transitioned to a private share corporation, leading to its 2006 IPO (NYSE: MA). Between 2009 and 2012, a series of acquisitions, including Orbiscom and DataCash, sharpened MasterCard’s focus on innovation. In 2019, the company dropped the “mastercard” name from its Brand Mark, with its iconic interlocking red and yellow circles able to represent the brand independently.

Notably, in 2020 Mastercard reported $6.3 trillion worth of gross dollar value which highlights the company’s significant global reach and the increasing reliance on digital payments across various markets.

Today, MasterCard operates in over 210 countries, striving for a world beyond cash, where electronic payments are more convenient, secure, and efficient. According to Mastercard Historical Employee Demographics data for the period 2018-2022, the company employs 29,900 people with 66% of that number outside of the U.S.

Key partnerships and acquisitions

On 11 September 2014, Apple launched Apple Pay which allowed Mastercard cardholders to make everyday purchases using their iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch. Mastercard laid the groundwork for secure mobile payments, ensuring consumers could use their cards whenever and however they wished.

iPhone users were able to link their Mastercard credit or debit cards from participating banks directly to Apple Pay. In physical stores, consumers could pay by simply holding their iPhone near a contactless reader with their finger on Touch ID to authorise the transaction. For in-app purchases, consumers were able to pay by tapping and authenticating with their fingerprint or passcode, without needing to input their card number or leave the app.

On 21 July 2014, Mastercard announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire “92.4 percent of VocaLink Holdings Limited for about £700 million (approximately US$920 million), after adjusting for cash and certain other estimated liabilities”. The UK’s competition authority eventually approved the acquisition by Mastercard in 2017, after the company eased competition concerns by agreeing to open some of VocaLink’s network to competitors.

Europe’s second-largest neobank, has teamed up with Mastercard to offer its 12.5 million users a unified view of their finances across Europe. This collaboration utilises Mastercard’s Open Banking platform, allowing users to integrate accounts from any bank into their bunq app.

With this feature, bunq users can now access spending insights from all their bank accounts within the bunq app, enabling more effective budgeting and financial planning. Additionally, bunq’s advanced AI money assistant, Finn, enhances these insights by incorporating transaction data from various banks. For instance, users can request Finn to provide a summary of their travel expenses from the past year, and it will gather relevant transactions from both bunq and external banks. This makes bunq the first European bank to integrate AI with open banking technology.

Mastercard reports 2  quarter 2024 Financial Results

On 31 July 2024, Mastercard announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2024. The company reported a net income of $3.3 billion, with diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.50. On an adjusted basis, net income also stood at $3.3 billion, with an adjusted diluted EPS of $3.59. Mastercard’s net revenue for the quarter reached $7.0 billion, representing an 11% increase, or 13% on a currency-neutral basis. Additionally, the company saw a 9% rise in gross dollar volume and a 10% increase in purchase volume, measured in local currency.

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