MasterCard's Global Online Payment Platform is Launching in Cooperation with uPaid and eCard

Warsaw, 14th July 2014 - MasterCard today announced the launch of MasterPass™, its global digital service in Poland. MasterPass provides consumers a seamless, secure and speedy checkout - regardless of where they may be and what device they may be using - at online merchant sites around the globe. MasterPass eliminates the need for consumers to enter detailed shipping and card information to complete their online shopping at MasterPass merchant sites.

uPaid will be the first partner to leverage the MasterPass platform to enable its digital  uPaid wallet. MasterPass will replace and enhance the MasterCard® Mobile platform, which has been present in Poland for three years. uPaid will automatically switch its current users of MasterCard Mobile over to the uPaid wallet. Consumers will continue to access mobile applications that enable them to purchase city transport tickets in approx. 90 towns and cities across Poland, movie theater tickets, order groceries or have flowers delivered in a fast and easy way, wherever they see the MasterCard Mobile acceptance mark today, until it transitions to the MasterPass acceptance mark. Plus, they will benefit from an improved online shopping experience at more than 40,000 MasterPass merchants around the world. As an open platform, MasterPass allows consumers to use not only MasterCard, but other branded credit, debit and prepaid cards.

"In the recent years we have successfully supported the MasterCard Mobile project as part of which more than 30,000 users relied on mobile payments in that technology. I am glad that as MasterCard's partner we are able to be the first to allow our customers access to a new shopping experience at more than 500 Polish merchants as part of MasterPass", said Marcin Kopyś, CEO at uPaid.

For merchants, MasterPass is a convenient, easy to implement solution enabling a simple payment method for consumers. At the same time it opens new business opportunities and international reach. Implementation of MasterPass enables Polish merchants to potentially expand their sales to consumers in the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, China, New Zealand, Italy and Singapore. At the same time eCard, as the first acquirer, will enable MasterPass payments for its merchants in Poland.

"At MasterCard we have always valued innovative payment technologies. The launch of MasterPass is the evidence of this approach. It is an excellent tool facilitating shopping experience to both consumers and merchants. Thanks to that we are able to offer new quality to dynamically growing e-commerce entities in that way opening global markets to Polish shops and consumers," says Bartosz Ciołkowski, General Manager Poland at the MasterCard Europe.

MasterPass is another step towards the development of the Polish e-commerce market that, according to forecasts, may exceed PLN 30 bn in 2014.[1] Both the number of consumers and the value of transactions online have been growing dynamically and numerous Polish e-shops have been recording sales at several tens of millions of PLN per year.[2] The m-commerce market has been growing even faster and as many as 16% of Internet users have been shopping with their mobiles.[3] MasterPass™ is a part of that trend, delivering a convenient, safe and universal online payment method with a future in-store usage.

About MasterCard

MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com,is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world's fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard's products and solutions make everyday commerce activities - such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances - easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone.@MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Cashless Pioneers Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

[1]The Sklepy24.pl report for Rzeczpospolita daily, February 2014.

[2]The e-Commerce Interaktywnie.com report, January 2014.

[3]The e-Commerce in Poland in the eyes of Internet users report, Gemius for e-Commerce Poland, March 2013.

distributed by