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MasterCard

Mastercard
Public
Traded as MA
S&P 100 Component
S&P 500 Component
Industry Financial services
Founded 1966; 51 years ago (1966)
(as Interbank Card Association)
1979; 38 years ago (1979)
(as Mastercard)
Headquarters MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, New York, United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Richard Haythornthwaite
(Chairman)
Ajaypal Singh Banga
(President & CEO)
Products Credit cards, payment systems
Revenue IncreaseUS$9.66 billion (2015)
Increase US$5.07 billion (2015)
Increase US$3.80 billion (2015)
Total assets Increase US$16.26 billion (2015)
Total equity Increase US$6.02 billion (2015)
Number of employees
10,300 (2015)
Website www.mastercard.com

Mastercard Incorporated (: MA) or Mastercard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, New York, United States, in Westchester County. The Global Operations Headquarters is located in O'Fallon, Missouri, United States, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Throughout the world, its principal business is to process payments between the banks of merchants and the card issuing banks or credit unions of the purchasers who use the "Mastercard" brand debit and credit cards to make purchases. Mastercard Worldwide has been a publicly traded company since 2006. Prior to its initial public offering, MasterCard Worldwide was a cooperative owned by the more than 25,000 financial institutions that issue its branded cards.

Mastercard, originally known as Interbank/Master Charge, was created by several California banks as a competitor to the BankAmericard issued by Bank of America, which later became the Visa credit card issued by Visa Inc. From 1966 to 1979, Mastercard was called "Interbank" and "Master Charge".

The original banks behind MasterCard were United California Bank (later First Interstate Bank and subsequently merged into Wells Fargo Bank), Wells Fargo, Crocker National Bank (also subsequently merged into Wells Fargo), and the Bank of California (subsequently merged into the Union Bank of California).


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