Mastercard Incorporated

Mastercard is a technology company operating in the global payments industry. The company connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments, digital partners, businesses, and other organizations worldwide by enabling secure, simple, smart, and accessible electronic payments. Mastercard facilitates payments through a range of solutions and services, utilizing its brands including Mastercard®, Maestro®, and Cirrus®. The company operates a global payments network that authorizes, clears, and settles payment transactions. Mastercard also possesses additional payment capabilities, including automated clearing house ("ACH") transactions, encompassing both batch and real-time account-based payments. These capabilities support consumer and commercial payment products, capture new payment flows, and provide various services and solutions. These offerings include security solutions, consumer acquisition and engagement services, business and market insights, digital and authentication services, and processing and gateway solutions, all leveraging secure data. The company's franchise model for its global payments network establishes standards and rules to balance value and risk among all stakeholders and ensure interoperability. Mastercard employs a multi-layered approach to help protect the global payments ecosystem.