Industry WIKI

3-D Secure (more commonly referred to as 3D Secure or 3DS) is a protocol designed to be an additional security layer for online credit and debit card transactions. The name refers to the "three domains" which interact using the protocol: the merchant/acquirer domain, the issuer domain, and the interoperability domain.

Access was a British credit card brand launched by Lloyds Bank, Midland Bank and National Westminster Bank in 1972 to rival the already established Barclaycard. It was established as a joint venture incorporated as The Joint Credit Card Company Limited and operated from Southend-on-Sea, until 1989 when part of the business was transferred to Basildon. In July 1991, First Data Resources p

An altyn (Russian алты́н, also алты́нник, altynnik) is a historical Russian currency (symbol: ). The name in Tatar is altın (алтын) meaning "gold", and altı (алты) meaning "six", since it was worth six dengi, equivalent to three kopeck silver, then copper, a small value coin, or 180–206 copper puls.

Altyn Asyr (lit. 'Golden age') is a Turkmenistani domestic card scheme founded in 2001 by the Central Bank of Turkmenistan. The Altyn Asyr system is an integral part of Turkmenistan's payment infrastructure. Altyn Asyr offers financial services, including credit card, debit card, and prepaid card issuing and network processing.

American Express Company (Amex) is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Express Tower, in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan; in 2026, the company announced that it would develop and be the sole occupant of the new 2 World Trad

An automated teller machine (ATM) is an electronic telecommunications device that enables customers of financial institutions to perform financial transactions, such as cash withdrawals, deposits, funds transfers, balance or account information inquiries, at any time and without the need for direct interaction with bank staff.

An ATM card is a dedicated payment card issued by a financial institution (i.e. a bank) which enables a customer to access their financial accounts via its and others' automated teller machines (ATMs) and, in some countries, to make approved point of purchase retail transactions. Many ATM cards also doubled as cheque guarantee cards. ATM cards are not credit or debit cards, however most

ATM usage fees are what many banks and interbank networks charge for the use of their automated teller machines (ATMs). In some cases, these fees are assessed solely for non-members of the bank; in other cases, they apply to all users. There is usually a higher fee for the use of White-label ATMs rather than bank-owned ATMs.

Automatic Bank Services Ltd. (Hebrew: שירותי בנק אוטומטיים; abbreviated as Shva Hebrew: שבא) is an Israeli company that provides communications and computing services in the banking sector in Israel. Its main field is the clearing of credit card transactions. The company's first CEO, until 1984, was Yoram Elster. After him, for more than thirty years, the CEO was Gideon Milowitzki. CEO M

AzeriCard is an Azerbaijani bank card processing company. The International Bank of Azerbaijan owns 100 percent of AzeriCard.

Bancomat is an Italian interbank network for cash withdrawals widely used in Italy. It was first introduced in 1983 for use with automated teller machines.

Bank Clearing Center Ltd. (Hebrew: מרכז סליקה בנקאי; known in its abbrevatiion Masav (Hebrew: Masav) operates the national infrastructure for payment transfers in the Israeli economy. Masav leads the payments and clearing sector in Israel and operates advanced payment transfer systems for tens of thousands of organizations, financial entities and government institutions in Israel. The v

BankAxept is the national payment system in Norway, used both physically and eventually digitally. The security of BankAxept is accomplished with the use of chip technology and PIN codes. Payments of less than NOK 500 can be carried contactless and without use of a PIN code. By using BankAxept, the money is charged from the cardholder's account immediately, and it is always verified whet

Bankcard was a shared brand credit card issued by financial institutions in Australia and New Zealand between 1974 and 2006. It was managed by the Bankcard Association of Australia, a joint venture of Australia's largest banks, and was the nation's first mass market credit card.

BC Card (Korean: 비씨카드) is a South Korean financial services company headquartered in Seoul. South Korea's largest payment processing company, it provides end-to-end payment services, primarily to financial institutions, as well as to local merchants through its subsidiary company Smartro; credit cards, debit cards and prepaid cards; local brand network operation under the brand of "BC";

Card schemes are payment networks linked to payment cards, such as debit or credit cards, of which a bank or any other eligible financial institution can become a member. By becoming a member of the scheme, the member then gets the possibility to issue cards or acquire merchants operating on the network of that card scheme.

A card security code (CSC; also known as CVC, CVV, or several other names) is a series of numbers that, in addition to the bank card number, is printed (but not embossed) on a credit or debit card. The CSC is used as a security feature for card-not-present transactions, where a personal identification number (PIN) cannot be manually entered by the cardholder (as they would during point-o

Carte Bleue (English: Blue Card) was a major debit card payment system operating in France. Unlike Visa Electron or Maestro debit cards, Carte Bleue transactions worked without requiring authorization from the cardholder's bank. In many situations, the card worked like a credit card but without fees for the cardholder. The system has now been integrated into a wider scheme called CB or c

The American Express Centurion Card, colloquially known as the Black Card, is an exclusive invitation-only charge card issued by American Express. It is reserved for the company's wealthiest clients who meet certain net worth, credit quality, and spending requirements on its gateway card, the Platinum Card. The firm does not disclose the exact requirements to receive an invitation to car

A charge card is a type of credit card that enables the cardholder to make purchases which are paid for by the card issuer, to whom the cardholder becomes indebted. The cardholder is obliged to repay the debt to the card issuer in full by the due date, usually on a monthly basis, or be subject to late fees and restrictions on further card use. Charge cards are distinct from traditional c

A charge-off or chargeoff is a declaration by a creditor (usually a credit card account) that an amount of debt is unlikely to be collected. This occurs when a consumer becomes severely delinquent on a debt. Traditionally, creditors make this declaration at the point of six months without payment. A charge-off is a form of write-off.

Cirrus is a worldwide interbank network that provides cash to Mastercard cardholders. As a subsidiary of Mastercard, it connects all Mastercard's credit, debit, and prepaid cards, as well as ATM cards issued by various banks worldwide bearing the Mastercard/Maestro logo.

Contactless payment systems are credit cards and debit cards, key fobs, smart cards, or other devices, including smartphones and other mobile devices, that use radio-frequency identification (RFID) or near-field communication (NFC) for making secure payments. The embedded integrated circuit chip and antenna enable consumers to wave their card, fob, or handheld device over a reader at the

A controlled payment number, disposable credit card or virtual credit card is an alias for a credit card number, with a limited number of transactions, and an expiration date between two and twelve months from the issue date. This "alias" number is indistinguishable from an ordinary credit card number, and the user's actual credit card number is never revealed to the merchant.

A credit card (or charge card) is a payment card, usually issued by a bank, allowing the card's users to purchase goods and services, or withdraw cash on credit. Card use thereby accrues debt that must be repaid later.

Credit card debt results when a client of a credit card company purchases an item or service through the card system. Debt grows through the accrual of interest and penalties when the consumer fails to repay the company for the money they have spent.

Credit card fraud is an inclusive term for fraud committed using a payment card, such as a credit card or debit card. The purpose may be to obtain goods or services or to make payment to another account, which is controlled by a criminal. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is the data security standard created to help financial institutions process card payments s

Credit card interest is a way in which credit card issuers generate revenue. A card issuer is a bank or credit union that gives a consumer (the cardholder) a card or account number that can be used with various payees to make payments and borrow money from the bank simultaneously. The bank pays the payee and then charges the cardholder interest over the time the money remains borrowed. B

Curve is a fintech company who propose the Curve card, a payment card that aggregates multiple payment cards through its accompanying digital wallet mobile app, allowing a user to make payments and withdrawals from a single card. It lets you "switch the bank card you paid with after each transaction is complete." Curve named this feature "Back in time".

The Dankort is the national debit card of Denmark. Today, it is often combined with a Visa or Mastercard (depending on issuing institution) and functions as a Visa or Mastercard debit card abroad and in stores that do not accept Dankort.

A debit card, also known as a check card, cheque card or bank card, is a payment card that can be used in place of cash to make purchases. The card usually consists of the bank's name, a card number, the cardholder's name, and an expiration date, on either the front or the back. Many new cards now have a chip on them, which allows people to use their card by touch (contactless), or by in

Debit Mastercard is a brand of debit cards provided by Mastercard. They use the same systems as standard Mastercard credit cards but they do not use a line of credit to the customer, instead relying on funds that the customer has in their bank account.

Debt-Lag is a condition which results from overuse of a credit card or other forms of credit while travelling. The debt itself can refer to the amount spent in the lead up to travelling, during the trip and any unexpected costs which come about from that trip, such as cross currency conversion fees and foreign ATM access charges.

A digital card is either a physical item, such as a memory card on a camera, or, increasingly since 2017, the digital content hosted

Diners Club International Ltd. (DCI), founded as Diners Club, is a payment network owned by Capital One. Diners Club and its franchises are accepted in over 200 countries and territories. Card issuers operating in approximately 45 countries have exclusive individual licenses to issue cards on the Diners Club network in a given country.

Discover Financial Services, Inc. was an American bank holding company that offered consumer banking products and owned Discover Card, Pulse, and Diners Club International. In May 2025, the company was acquired by Capital One.

An economic and monetary union (EMU) is a type of trade bloc that features a combination of a common market, customs union, and monetary union. Established via a trade pact, an EMU constitutes the sixth of seven stages in the process of economic integration. An EMU agreement usually combines a customs union with a common market. A typical EMU establishes free trade and a common external

Electronic Payment Services (Chinese: 易辦事), commonly known as EPS, is an electronic payment system based in Hong Kong, Macau, and with limited acceptance in Shenzhen since it began operations in 1985. The service is provided by EPS Company (Hong Kong) Limited which currently has over 30,000 acceptance locations.

EMV is a payment method based on a technical standard for smart payment cards and for payment terminals and automated teller machines which can accept them. EMV stands for "Europay, Mastercard, and Visa", the three companies that created the standard. EMV is managed by EMVCo, a financial technology consortium owned by card scheme companies.

Eurocard was a credit card, introduced in 1964 by Marcus Wallenberg Jr. of the Wallenberg family as an alternative to American Express. In 1968, it signed a deal with the Interbank Card Association (today's MasterCard) so that their cards were accepted by each other's networks; this eventually led to a joint venture known as Maestro International in 1992, and merger in 2002.

The European Network for Payments (abbreviated as ENP) is a joint venture aiming at developing a unified European payment solution and facilitating the interoperability of mobile payment solutions provided by several firms. The European Payments Alliance was created in December 2023 by Italian interbank network Bancomat, Spanish mobile payment firm Bizum and Portuguese firm SIBS (which

A fuel card or fleet card is used as a payment card most commonly for gasoline, diesel, and other fuels at gas stations. Fleet cards can also be used to pay for vehicle maintenance and expenses at the discretion of the fleet owner or manager. Most fuel cards are charge cards.

girocard is an interbank network and debit card service in Germany connecting virtually all automated teller machines (ATMs) and banks. It is based on standards and agreements developed by the German Banking Industry Committee.

A grace period is a period immediately after the deadline for an obligation during which a late fee, or other action that would have been taken as a result of failing to meet the deadline, is waived provided that the obligation is satisfied during the grace period. In other words, it is a length of time during which rules or penalties are waived or deferred. Grace periods can range from

Hyundai Card (Korean: 현대카드; RR: Hyeondae Kadeu) is a credit card company under Hyundai Motor Group headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. In 2001, Hyundai Motor Group acquired Diners Club Korea, and relaunched it under the name Hyundai Card.

Interac is a Canadian interbank network that links financial institutions and other enterprises for the purpose of exchanging electronic financial transactions. Interac serves as the Canadian debit card system and the predominant funds transfer network via its e-Transfer service. There are over 59,000 automated teller machines that can be accessed through the Interac network in Canada, a

An interbank network, also known as an ATM consortium or ATM network, is a computer network that enables ATM cards issued by a financial institution that is a member of the network to be used to perform ATM transactions through ATMs that belong to another member of the network.

An introductory rate (also known as a teaser rate) is an interest rate charged to a customer during the initial stages of a loan. The rate, which can be as low as 0%, is not permanent and after it expires a higher rate will apply.

Isracard (Hebrew: ישראכרט) is an Israeli company that is made up of four different companies: Isracard LTD, Europay LTD, Aminit LTD and American Express Israel, which offers financial services – including credit card issuing, loans, credit services, and flexible payment options.

Israel Credit Cards Ltd. (Hebrew: כרטיסי אשראי לישראל בע"מ), also known by the Cal (Hebrew: כאל) brand and its historical name "C.A.L" (Hebrew: כ.א.ל or by the nickname "Visa Cal" (Hebrew: ויזה כאל, is a company operating in the Israeli credit card market in two areas of activity: issuing debit cards, especially credit cards, and clearing credit card transactions. The company was founded

Jaywan (Arabic: جيون, lit. 'precious pearl') is an Emirati card payment system wholly owned and operated by Al Etihad Payments (AEP), a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates.

JCB Co., Ltd. (株式会社ジェーシービー, Kabushiki gaisha jē shī bī), formerly Japan Credit Bureau, is a credit card company based in Tokyo, Japan.

LankaPay (formerly LankaClear) national payment network of Sri Lanka which provides the central payment infrastructure to the country's financial sector. Established in April 1, 2002, the organization is owned by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and all CBSL-licensed commercial banks in the country.

Laser was a debit card scheme in Ireland between 1996 and 2014. It was operated by Laser Card Services Limited, a non profit body owned by four leading financial institutions in Ireland and overseen since 2008 by the Oversight Unit of the Central Bank. The scheme was launched in April 1996, and in 2010, there were almost three million Laser cards in circulation.

Mastercard Maestro is a brand of debit cards and prepaid cards owned by Mastercard that was introduced in 1991. Maestro is accepted at around fifteen million point of sale outlets in 93 countries.

Mastercard Inc. (stylized as MasterCard from 1979 to 2016 and as mastercard since 2016) is an American multinational payment card services corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York. It provides payment transaction processing and other related-payment services, including travel-related payments and bookings. Its principal business globally is to process payments between the banks of

Mir (Russian: Мир, IPA: [ˈmʲir]; lit. 'the world' or 'peace') is a Russian card payment system for electronic fund transfers established by the Central Bank of Russia under a law adopted on 1 May 2017. It is operated by the Russian National Card Payment System, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Central Bank of Russia. Mir does not itself issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees fo

Mondex was a smart card electronic cash system, implemented as a stored-value card and owned by Mastercard.

The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) is a Pan-African real-time gross settlement (RTGS) infrastructure for cross-border payments in distinct local currencies. It was publicly launched on January 13, 2022 by the African Union (AU) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to compliment trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with further roll

A payment card number, primary account number (PAN), or simply a card number, is the card identifier found on payment cards, such as credit cards and debit cards, as well as stored-value cards, gift cards and other similar cards. In some situations the card number is referred to as a bank card number. The card number is primarily a card identifier and may not directly identify the bank

A payment terminal, also known as a point of sale (POS) terminal, card machine, credit card machine, card reader, PIN pad, EFTPOS terminal (or by the older term as PDQ terminal which stands for "Process Data Quickly"), is a device which interfaces with payment cards to make electronic funds transfers. The terminal typically consists of a secure keypad (called a PINpad) for entering PIN,

PIN was a debit card brand in the Netherlands from 1990 until 2012, owned by Currence. PIN was a magnetic stripe card, which never migrated to the EMV chip. It was therefore discontinued in 2012, after the switch-over from magnetic stripe authentication to EMV chip authentication in the Netherlands was completed. PIN was replaced by Maestro and V Pay debit cards, but as most PIN cards we

The Rail Travel Card was a credit card administered by the Rail Travel Credit Agency headquartered at Chicago Union Station (room 436) to facilitate leisure and business travel by rail, possibly modeled on the air travel card. It was accepted by most major railroads, the prominent exceptions being New Haven and Southern Pacific.

Revolving credit is a type of credit that does not have a fixed number of payments, in contrast to installment credit. Credit cards are an example of revolving credit used by consumers. Corporate revolving credit facilities are typically used to provide liquidity for a company's day-to-day operations. They were first introduced by the Strawbridge and Clothier Department Store.

RuPay (portmanteau of Rupee and Payment) is an Indian multinational financial services and payment service system, conceived and owned by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It was launched in 2012, to fulfil the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) vision of establishing a domestic, open and multilateral system of payments. RuPay facilitates electronic payments at almost all Ind

The Saudi Payments Network (Arabic: الشبكة السعودية للمدفوعات), commonly known as Mada (Arabic: مدى, literally "range" or "extent"; formerly SPAN), is the primary payment system in Saudi Arabia. Established by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), the network connects all automated teller machines (ATMs) and point-of-sale (POS) terminals across the Kingdom to a central payment switch that rout

A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart cards include a pattern of metal contacts to electrically connect to the internal chip. Others are contactless, and some are both. Smart cards can provide perso

A stored-value card (SVC) or cash card is a payment card with a monetary value stored on the card itself, not in an external account maintained by a financial institution. This means no network access is required by the payment collection terminals as funds can be withdrawn and deposited straight from the card. Like cash, payment cards can be used anonymously as the person holding the ca

A payment surcharge, also known as checkout fee, is an extra fee charged by a merchant when receiving a payment by cheque, credit card, charge card, debit card or an e-money account, but not cash, which at least covers the cost to the merchant of accepting that means of payment, such as the merchant service fee imposed by a credit card company. Retailers generally incur higher costs when

Switch was a debit card brand in the United Kingdom from 1988 until 2002.

UnionPay (Chinese: 银联; pinyin: Yínlián), also known as China UnionPay (Chinese: 中国银联; pinyin: Zhōngguó Yínlián) or by its abbreviation, CUP or UPI internationally, is a Chinese state-owned financial services corporation headquartered in Shanghai, China. It provides bank card services and a major card scheme in mainland China. Founded on 26 March 2002, China UnionPay is an association fo

Visa Debit is a brand of debit card issued by Visa in many countries. Numerous banks and financial institutions issue Visa Debit cards to their customers for access to their bank accounts. In many countries the Visa Debit functionality is often incorporated on the same plastic card that allows access to ATM and any domestic networks like EFTPOS or Interac.

Visa Inc. () is an American multinational payment card services corporation headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States. It facilitates electronic funds transfers worldwide, most commonly through Visa-branded credit cards, debit cards and prepaid cards.

Vocalink is a payment systems company headquartered in the United Kingdom, created in 2007 from the merger between Voca and LINK. It designs, builds and operates the UK payments infrastructure, which underpins the provision of the Bacs payment system and the UK ATM LINK switching platform covering 65,000 ATMs and the UK Faster Payments systems.