Mastercard Incorporated

What does Mastercard own?
Mastercard operates the Mastercard, Maestro, and Cirrus payment brands. It also owns technology and services businesses through acquisitions, though they operate under the Mastercard name rather than separate consumer brands.

Is Mastercard publicly traded?
Yes. Mastercard trades on the NYSE under ticker MA and is a component of the S&P 500.

Who founded Mastercard?
A consortium of US banks formed the Interbank Card Association in 1966, which became Mastercard. It was a bank-owned association until the 2006 IPO.

Where is Mastercard headquartered?
Mastercard is headquartered in Purchase, New York, USA, in Westchester County.

Who owns Mastercard?
Mastercard is owned by public shareholders with no controlling investor. Michael Miebach serves as Chair and CEO.

What is Mastercard's revenue?
Mastercard reported FY2025 net revenue of $32.8 billion, up 16%, with net income of $15.0 billion and diluted EPS of $16.52.

How many brands does Mastercard own?
Mastercard operates three consumer-facing card brands: Mastercard, Maestro, and Cirrus, plus the broader network and services business under the Mastercard name.

Mastercard traces to 1966, when a consortium of California banks formed the Interbank Card Association to compete with BankAmericard, the predecessor of Visa. The consortium model gave member banks shared ownership of the card network that became known as Master Charge.

The name Mastercard was adopted in 1979 as the brand outgrew its original identity. Through the 1980s and 1990s the network expanded internationally and launched Maestro, the debit network, and Cirrus, the ATM network, extending the brand beyond credit cards into the emerging debit and cash-access markets.

The company went public in 2006, transforming from a bank-owned association into a conventional publicly traded corporation. The IPO enabled investment in technology, expansion into new payment types including mobile and contactless, and the growth of the value-added services business that would become a major revenue driver.

Under Miebach's leadership since 2021, Mastercard has accelerated the diversification beyond card processing into cybersecurity, data analytics, open banking, and account-to-account payments, positioning the network as a broader payments technology platform rather than a card company. The Apple Card partnership win in 2025 was highlighted as a significant commercial victory.

Mastercard's sustainability program covers financial inclusion as its primary social mission, aiming to connect 1 billion people to the digital economy, alongside environmental targets for its own operations including renewable energy and emissions reduction.

The company has invested in inclusive fintech partnerships across emerging markets and publishes impact reporting on financial access outcomes. It is not a Certified B Corporation but positions inclusion as core to its commercial model rather than philanthropic add-on.

• Fortune 500: Mastercard ranks on the Fortune 500 by revenue.
• Brand Finance rankings: Consistently among the most valuable global payment brands.
• Fortune World's Most Admired Companies: Regular appearance in the financial services category.

Interchange fee litigation: Mastercard has been central to decades of antitrust litigation over credit card interchange fees, including the 2024 settlement of the long-running US merchant class action that was later modified and re-litigated. Interchange regulation remains the most persistent legal challenge.

Competition investigations: The company has faced regulatory scrutiny in the EU, UK, and other jurisdictions over interchange rates, cross-border fees, and competition in payment processing.

Data privacy: As a payment network holding transaction data, Mastercard operates under data protection regulations globally, with periodic scrutiny over data use in its services business.