MasterCard 2005 Annual Report Download - page 7

5
Four decades after a
group of banks created
our predecessor, the
InterBank Card Association,
MasterCard Worldwide
is a major force advancing
commerce and serving
financial institutions,
consumers and businesses
in over 210 countries
and territories.
5
Fue
l
ing Connections to Drive Growt
h
At its most fundamental, MasterCard Worldwide is a link among the world’s largest
nancial institutions, millions of businesses, hundreds of millions of individual cardholders
and millions of merchant locations. Far from being a passive network, we are a powerful
business catal
y
st, promotin
g
the advanta
g
es of electronic pa
y
ments, helpin
g
to
g
row
pro
fi
table card port
f
olios, developing innovative payment solutions and, as a result,
stimulatin
g
g
lobal commerce.
Nothing is more important to this role than our ability to
f
ocus on what matters to
cardholders seekin
g
easier, safer, more rewardin
g
wa
y
s to pa
y
. Our knowled
g
e of their
needs and desires is the
f
oundation o
f
our award-winning Price
l
es
s
®
campaign. T
h
is
g
lobal advertisin
g
platform, which has appeared in 106 countries and in 50 lan
g
ua
g
es,
gets to the heart o
f
what people care about most:
fl
exibility, convenience and
f
reedom
to live life to the fullest. We are levera
g
in
g
the stren
g
th of
Priceless
in digital media as
s
well with the recent launch o
f
Priceless.com, a new interactive consumer website that
helps drive card usage
.
De
l
ivering Innovative So
l
utions
This understandin
g
also drives innovation that expands the boundaries of pa
y
ments
an
d
d
e
l
ivers true car
dh
o
ld
er va
l
ue. One suc
h
innovation is MasterCar
d
P
ay
P
ass, our quic
k
and eas
y
Tap & Go contactless pa
y
ment pro
g
ram that is revolutionizin
g
quick-pa
y
environments ranging
f
rom
f
ast-
f
ood restaurants to gas stations to mass transit systems.
Other innovative pa
y
ment options include our advanced chip-based smart cards, which
o
ff
er greater security and a multitude o
f
applications. At the high end o
f
the payments
s
p
ectrum, t
h
e Wor
ld
MasterCar
d
®
card is delivering a whole new level o
f
exclusivity
and rewards to top-tier and mass-a
ffl
uent consumers — a
f
ast-growing opportunity
se
g
ment in markets worldwide. At the same time, our popular and ever-expandin
g
prepaid offerin
g
s include cate
g
ories from
g
ift to pa
y
roll to travel. All said, we continue
to enhance the cardholder experience by o
ff
ering diverse payment options.
MasterCar
d
is equa
ll
y c
l
ear a
b
out w
h
at matters most to
b
usinesses — ena
bl
ing our
business customers to replace ine
ffi
cient cash and check transactions with electronic
pa
y
ments. Our corporate and purchasin
g
card pro
g
rams include enhanced transaction
d
ata an
d
integration too
l
s t
h
at ena
bl
e corporations an
d
government agencies to
reduce costs while increasin
g
productivit
y
and return on investment. Our small business
programs, meanwhile, deliver
fi
nancial
fl
exibility and important sa
f
eguards, along with
meanin
g
ful discounts and cardholder rewards. In the United States and Europe, our
popular 2005 “Get Wired” campaign increased usage o
f
MasterCard small business card
solutions, o
ff
ering greater
fl
exibility while making li
f
e simpler
f
or busy entrepreneurs
.
Forg
i
ng Stronger T
i
e
s
Growth, of course, would hardl
y
be possible without stron
g
er, more cooperative ties with
merchants — which is why we work hard to o
ff
er added value by helping them increase
their business, enhance effi cienc
y
and lead the battle a
g
ainst fraud and misuse.
PayPass Advances
MasterCard PayPass® , the
Tap & Go™ solution, continued
to grow, gaining ground
throughout the United States
and making major inroads
in Asia and Europe. To date,
30,000 merchants have
installed terminals at quick-pay
locations, from fast-food
outlets and sports stadiums
in the United States, to coffee
bars and boutiques in Malaysia,
to transit systems in Taiwan
and soon in New York City.