Expanding our global payments partnership with Mastercard
Friday 26 May 2023
UniCredit and Mastercard join efforts for a multi-year strategic alliance, putting in place a single card multi-market strategy in Europe, with the shared ambition to increase the speed of innovation in the payments space and put the customers at the center. This is an unprecedented commitment first of its kind in Europe.
For the very first time a large commercial bank puts in place a single card multi market strategy of this scale in Europe. Thanks to this unique agreement UniCredit harnesses the collective weight of its 13 banks as one institution joining forces with Mastercard’s expertise in the card payment space. The substantial broadening of the parties’ relationship will deliver payment innovation and enhanced digital experiences to its customers.
This enhanced multi-year partnership provides the necessary resources to achieve a shared ambition with Mastercard to increase the speed of innovation in the payments space and put the customers at the center and is a tangible example of the execution of the UniCredit Unlocked plan as we deliver value for all our stakeholders in capital-light manner, leveraging on our European DNA but united as a single bank and with an eye to ESG.
“This partnership epitomizes the essence of UniCredit Unlocked and our commitment to leverage the full impact of our multi market footprint as one complete offering for the benefit of our clients said Andrea Orcel, CEO, Unicredit. Our geographical reach and Mastercard’s expertise in this space enables us to not only streamline our partnerships and contracts, but enhance our digital, security and product offering for all our current and future cardholders. This is a perfect example of the new way of managing projects in UniCredit, bringing benefits to all legal entities in a disciplined way and acting as a single company.”
Andrea Orcel, UniCredit CEO
“UniCredit has been an important partner for many years. Together we have created real solutions that help people and businesses across Europe. This expanded relationship will build on that experience to bring new innovations to UniCredit cardholders.”
Michael Miebach, Mastercard CEO
Both UniCredit and Mastercard are in fact committed to increasing their tangible actions across environmental and social sustainability and this partnership will enhance and act on this shared ambition.
Together we will work on a combined ESG focus, implementing new projects to develop solutions to support our purpose of empowering communities to progress while tangibly contributing to environmental goals.
Discover more about this exclusive partnership by reading the Press Release