MA

Mastercard Incorporated operates a global payments network that connects consumers, merchants, financial institutions and technology partners to facilitate electronic transactions in more than 210 countries and territories. The company provides the underlying infrastructure and software for credit, debit, prepaid and digital‑wallet payments, earning fees from transaction processing, cross‑border assessments and a growing portfolio of value‑added services such as fraud‑prevention tools, data analytics and open‑banking solutions. Mastercard belongs to the financial‑technology sector and is the second‑largest card‑network operator worldwide, competing primarily with Visa while leveraging its extensive data and technology platform to expand beyond traditional card‑based payments. Its business model is based on scaling transaction volumes rather than issuing credit, positioning it as a core “payment‑as‑a‑service” provider for banks, fintechs and merchants.