New Installment Offering Adds Value to Merchants and Issuers, Boosts Consumer Purchasing Power

Mastercard (NYSE: MA) today announced it has acquired Vyze, a technology platform that delivers more choice – and purchasing power – to people who want their point-of-sale payment options to match the flexibility and convenience of today’s shopping experiences.

Increasingly, consumers are seeking alternative financing options, [1] leaving merchants and financial institutions with a need to deliver these services at the point of sale. In the U.S. alone, these solutions represent a more than $1.8 trillion opportunity, according to Accenture.

Vyze shakes up traditional models by connecting merchants with multiple lenders, allowing them to offer their customers a wide range of credit options online and in-store. These financing options provide shoppers with additional payment flexibility at the exact moment of purchase, complementing Mastercard’s existing card and ACH-based solutions.

“Both consumers and businesses want the best choice and service, exactly when they need it,” said Blake Rosenthal, executive vice president of global acceptance at Mastercard. “Vyze adds to our ability to empower banks and other lending partners to participate in the growing trend of retail financing. The combination of their platform with our technology and network complements our existing payments programs.”

Through this acquisition, Mastercard becomes a more strategic partner to both lenders and merchants, delivering a checkout experience that adds to Mastercard’s best-in-class security and convenience. Vyze’s proven technology better facilitates lending options to merchants’ customers, delivering a better shopping experience through financing approval rates up to 90 percent that are well above the industry average.

The end-to-end Vyze platform allows lenders and merchants to “integrate once and innovate forever” through the simple use of APIs. Previously, managing and maintaining a range of consumer payment and financing options would require significant time and investment.

“Shoppers looking for new ways to pay and merchants looking to sell higher ticket items and deter abandonments has driven a flurry of activity in the ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ market,” said Raymond Pucci, director of merchant services practice at Mercator Advisory Group. “This acquisition creates a new market making approach that supports operation at scale, helping banks offer and merchants shop for the terms that best fit their needs. Mastercard’s existing relationships will assure both take a serious look at this new solution.”

Several top U.S. retailers work with Vyze for special financing options. This proven track record will be used to bring the same functionality to customers in additional markets.

“Mastercard has a long history of building an incredibly powerful network, connecting some of the world’s most influential financial institutions, merchants and innovators,” said Keith Nealon, CEO of Vyze. “With their relationships and scale, we see a great opportunity to reach exponentially more partners and consumers.”

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

 Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements.  When used in this press release, the words “believe,” “expect,” “could,” “may,” “would,” “will,” “trend” and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements.  Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that relate to Mastercard’s future prospects, developments and business strategies, as well as Mastercard’s acquisition and operation of Vyze’s business.  We caution you to not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as they speak only as of the date they are made.  Except for the company’s ongoing obligations under the U.S. federal securities laws, the company does not intend to update or otherwise revise the forward-looking information to reflect actual results of operations, changes in financial condition, changes in estimates, expectations or assumptions, changes in general economic or industry conditions or other circumstances arising and/or existing since the preparation of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of any unanticipated events.

For additional information on other factors related to Mastercard’s overall business that could cause Mastercard’s actual results to differ materially from expected results, please see the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, and any subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K.

[1] Roper 2015; Consumer Finance: Euromonitor from trade sources/national statistics

About Mastercard

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. Our global payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard 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. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau. 

About Vyze

Vyze is a leading cloud-based financing technology company for retailers. By combining technology, a comprehensive lending supply, and support under one roof, Vyze delivers businesses more satisfying financing experiences for their customers, wherever and whenever they shop.