MasterCard 2009 Annual Report Download - page 6

4 MasterCard Annual Report 2009
MasterCard-enabled phones allow users to manage accounts,
pay bills, and, with the addition of PayPass capabilities, to make
purchases at participating merchants and points of sale. On the
commercial side, we launched a commercial mobile PayPass program
in Korea with LG U+ and Shinhan Card. The phones contain a
PayPass chip card that allows them to be used not only for contactless
payment transactions, but as a contactless travel pass and for
identifi cation purposes.
At the same time, our person-to-person (P2P) MasterCard
MoneySend®
platform makes it easier than ever to transfer funds to
family and friends, whether across the street or across borders, in
17 countries. Through phones, the Internet, and ATMs, our innovative
P2P solutions are advancing worldwide, allowing cardholders to make
account-to-card and card-to-card transfers in seconds. P2P options
are a particular boon in an age of an increasingly global workforce,
allowing workers to send money home instantly, while avoiding the
hassle and expense of checks, money orders, and wire transfers.
Our penchant for innovation extends to programs for large
companies and small businesses as well — one reason we’ve been
named the world’s top corporate card and expense management
provider by Global Finance magazine. Throughout the economic
downturn, controlling costs has been top of mind for every company.
Our response: to work closely with both customers and merchants
to develop programs that help companies manage spending while
enjoying savings and rewards. One example includes the MasterCard
Easy Savings®
Program for Small Business, which enables companies
in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. to save on a wide range of goods
and services. MasterCard inControl, meanwhile, helps companies
manage spending.
We’re also committed to helping customers control costs and ensure
cardholder confi dence by providing Expert Monitoring Solutions,
a highly advanced suite of fraud prevention products. By enabling
fi nancial institutions to identify fraud before it happens, MasterCard
is delivering added value to customers and protecting cardholders.
Insights That Drive Tailored Payments Solutions
MasterCard also leads the way as a primary source of actionable
insights and intelligence leveraged by issuers, merchants, and
governments in markets worldwide. Based on a wealth of data, our
insights are delivered through information services, data analytics, and
MasterCard Advisors®
, our unique professional services organization.
Among our reports, the most widely followed is MasterCard Advisors’
SpendingPulse®
. SpendingPulse offers timely views of spending on
everything from gasoline to apparel and has become vital to
understanding consumer trends and behavior in the U.S. and the
U.K. In addition, earlier this year, we launched MasterCard Advisors’
Merchant Solutions, a new offering that is squarely focused on helping
merchants improve performance.
Aside from creating a deeper and broader understanding of
economic trends, our insights drive the development of targeted,
Innovation: Advancing
New Ways to Make Payments
We continue to make investments in innovative
products and solutions that are shaping the
future of payments. Among the highlights:
• Mobile: Our 2009 launch of the MasterCard
Mobile Payments Gateway allowed banks
and mobile network operators in emerging
markets to advance payments via mobile
phones and included game-changing mobile
P2P money transfers. In Brazil, for example, we
are working to enable consumers to link their
mobile phones to MasterCard and Maestro
credit and debit accounts. At the same time,
in developed markets, our MoneySend P2P
money transfer functionality was expanded,
allowing consumers to transfer funds between
any type of MasterCard or Maestro cards.
• inControl: Our development and launch of
MasterCard inControl™ represents a leading
innovation in cardholder empowerment.
The inControl platform helps consumers and
corporations manage spending on credit and
debit cards by determining when, where,
how, and for what purpose the cards can be
used. A number of fi nancial institutions in
Europe and the U.S. are already offering this
functionality. With cost control now top of
mind for just about everyone, MasterCard
inControl is a timely, convenient solution that
addresses today’s cardholder needs.
• Prepaid: Social Security recipients can
now receive benefi ts from the U.S. Treasury
Department more effi ciently thanks to
MasterCard Direct Express prepaid cards
issued by Comerica. In 2010, this program
reached the one-million card milestone.
On the corporate side, MasterCard worked
with Walmart Stores Inc., one of the largest
employers, to provide prepaid payroll cards
to their Walmart and Sam’s Club associates
in the U.S. Finally, on the consumer side, we
partnered with Univision to introduce
a prepaid card that gives the U.S.
Hispanic community a safe and
cost-effective alternative
to cash.
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