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The Assessment Criteria

MasterCard welcomes additional risk-appropriate participants operating within the MasterCard Scheme. 

Here is the link to our Assessment Criteria: 

These Assessment Criteria also explain the risks that the assessment criteria seek to address.

Technical and Operational considerations

The Scheme Applicant should already have considered their ability to meet the technical and operational capabilities required to process payments. These capabilities can be accomplished by either working with a third party processor in the payments industry, or, alternatively, building these capabilities ‘in-house’. In either case, the Scheme Applicant needs to have access to the facilities, resources and capacity associated with issuing and acquiring on behalf of cardholders and merchants. This would include a physical operations center and supporting activities such as account management, card production, dispute resolution and customer service.

The Scheme Applicant needs to be able to connect to the MasterCard Worldwide Network. This will involve obtaining a MasterCard Interface Processor (MIP), installing the necessary telecommunications circuits, and arranging for testing between your host and the MasterCard test facility. MasterCard has a dedicated Customer Implementation Services (CIS) team which will work closely with the Scheme Applicant following the granting of any MasterCard license, to order and install the relevant equipment, coordinate the required testing, and complete all necessary integration testing prior to the commencement of operations in a production environment. 

As with any new Scheme Applicant, there must be a reasonable business case to support the Applicant entering the credit card issuing and/or acquiring business. 


The Application Process

Here are the application steps:

1. The Scheme Applicant sends an email to indicating their interest in becoming a scheme participant. A MasterCard staff member will contact them within 2 working days to confirm receipt of the applicant’s interest and outline the process, including the information that will need to be supplied in relation to the application.

2. An invitation email containing instructions to apply for a MasterCard license will be sent to the Scheme Applicant within 2 working days.

3. The Scheme Applicant will complete and submit the online application and attach various documents supporting their application.

4. MasterCard will review the application for completeness within 30 days of receipt of a complete online application, and all other information relevant to the application which MasterCard may require for each application. The Scheme Applicant may be contacted for the provision of additional information and /or clarifications in relation to their submission.

5. After MasterCard confirms that the Scheme Applicant has submitted all required application material, MasterCard will make a decision whether to grant the license via an email confirmation within 30 days.

6. MasterCard will provide to an entity that has applied to participate in the Scheme in Australia reasons in writing if the application is rejected, within one month after such rejection.


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