Mastercard Expands Support of Latin America Real-Time Payments with Acquisition of Arcus

Rhea-AI Summary

Mastercard has announced its acquisition of Arcus FI, a fintech firm, to enhance bill pay solutions and real-time payment applications across Latin America. This strategic move will facilitate the introduction of Mastercard Bill Pay, allowing users to manage personal bills via their financial service providers' apps. Arcus, known for its robust payment technology, will expand access to financial services in the region. The acquisition aligns with Mastercard’s mission to drive financial inclusion and improve digital economy access.

Positive

• Acquisition of Arcus enhances Mastercard's presence and service offerings in Latin America.
• Facilitates the expansion of Mastercard Bill Pay, enabling efficient bill management for consumers.
• Arcus' technology supports real-time payment solutions and financial inclusivity.

Negative

• Integration challenges may arise from merging Arcus' operations with Mastercard.
• -

Arcus’ full-stack platform improves speed and access to Mexico’s financial services ecosystem and is a gateway into Latin American markets

Enables the introduction of Mastercard Bill Pay to Latin America

PURCHASE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mastercard (NYSE: MA) today announced it has acquired Arcus FI, an alum of the company’s Start Path program, to help support the delivery of bill pay solutions and other real-time payment applications across Latin America.

With offices in New York and Mexico City, Arcus helps to enable bill pay and cash-in, cash-out services for some of the biggest billers, retailers, fintechs and traditional financial institutions in the U.S. and Mexico, with expansion into Latin America. Its flagship solution, the Arcus Pay Network, has access to the largest retailers and direct connection with many of the largest billers in Mexico.

“The past year has shown how critical digital solutions are for people and businesses across the region,” said Laura Cruz, division president for Mexico and Central America at Mastercard. "With the addition of the Arcus team, we will enhance existing payment experiences and create new opportunities to address every day needs by connecting more people to the digital economy.”

Arcus’ platform recently received approval to enable payment processing, settlement and reconciliation via Mexico’s real-time Interbank Electronic Payment System (Sistema de Pagos Electrónicos Interbancarios or SPEI).

“Edrizio de la Cruz and I began this company to help immigrants like us have a proper way to track our finances and send money home. For nearly a decade, we have grown from those aspirations to help pave the way toward greater financial inclusion in Latin America,” said Iñigo Rumayor, co-founder at Arcus. “We’ve tapped into some of the region’s brightest minds, and built a world-class team alongside Marc Sacal, who has helped us expand beyond those initial cross-border payments to give people a greater control of their financial lives. Now, becoming part of the Mastercard family and a direct participant in the SPEI network expands what we can deliver to our customers.”

Arcus has helped to pioneer the adoption of digital payment solutions in Latin America. Today, the company supports fast and easy access to deposits, withdrawals and payment services.

Expansion of Mastercard Bill Pay

Arcus’ technology, network and customer relationships will help accelerate the introduction of Mastercard Bill Pay to Latin America. Its existing customers issue the majority of household bills in Mexico and provide connection to a wide range of payment options via banks, fintechs and digital wallet providers. This same connectivity will deliver the channel for a broader suite of financial services.

Mastercard Bill Pay allows consumers to view, manage and pay their household and other personal bills from within their preferred financial service provider’s app — securely, conveniently and with full control. It is already live with banks and credit unions and a network of 135,000 billers in the US as Mastercard Bill Pay Exchange.

For billers, Mastercard Bill Pay can eliminate the cost of mailing paper bills and processing cash and checks, offers better visibility of payment status, and helps them reconcile payments to customer accounts. Financial institutions benefit from increased relevance in their customers’ daily lives, resulting in increased engagement and additional services and increased customer engagement.

Arcus Customer Testimonials

"Arcus is the ideal partner for us due to its real-time payment technology, which allows us to offer the fastest possible payment solutions for our clients," said Jorge Hernández Santoyo, corporate treasurer at Sky Mexico & Central America.

“Arcus was the ideal technology partner for us due to their agile technology, real-time processing and strong Latin American presence,” said Guillermo Vicando, CEO and co-founder of Bnext.

"Arcus is the ideal partner for us due to its real-time payment technology, which allows us to offer the fastest possible payment solutions for our clients," said Karen Iglesias, electronic services and home delivery manager at 7-Eleven Mexico.

"Arcus is the ideal partner for our needs. We can use its suite of solutions to provide our customers with an unmatched payment experience around utilities payment and cash options to pay their credit cards," said Martin Mexia, head of payments at RappiPay.

“By partnering with Arcus, Cuenca saves its customers' time with a personalized, fair, and 100% friendly-digital finance experience which allows them to top-up phone plans and pay different bills." Bibiana Monterde, co-founder of Cuenca.

About Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

About Arcus

Arcus is a platform that enables any business to launch and offer innovative payment solutions across LatAm. Arcus’ mission is to make payments possible for everyone. The world’s largest and most innovative companies choose Arcus to accept and process payments across the Americas including BBVA, Santander, Walmart, 7-Eleven, and Rappi. Arcus was launched in 2013 through Y-Combinator. Arcus is currently growing its team, with 100+ employees, 100+ clients, and operations in 7 countries in Latin America. For more information, visit Arcusfi.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

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 Ekata. 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.

Many factors and uncertainties relating to the proposed transaction, our operations and our business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control, influence whether any forward-looking statements can or will be achieved. Any one of these factors could cause our actual results or the impact of the acquisition to differ materially from those expressed or implied in writing in any forward-looking statements made by Mastercard or on its behalf. Such factors related to the completion and impact of the acquisition include, but are not limited to, whether all necessary conditions will be met, and whether the transaction will close on agreed terms and in a timely manner.

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, 2020, and any subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211124005986/en/

Mastercard Investor Relations: Jud Staniar, investor.relations@mastercard.com, +1 914-249-4565

Mastercard Global Communications: Seth Eisen, Seth.Eisen@mastercard.com, +1 914-249-3153

Mastercard Mexico Communications: Isabel Villagomez, Isabel.Villagomez@mastercard.com, +52 (55) 26481174

Source: Mastercard Investor Relations

FAQ

What is the significance of Mastercard's acquisition of Arcus FI?

The acquisition enhances Mastercard's capabilities in bill payment solutions and expands its presence in Latin America's financial services.

How will Arcus FI impact Mastercard's operations in Latin America?

Arcus FI will provide essential technology to support Mastercard's Bill Pay and real-time payment applications, improving access and efficiency.

What is Mastercard Bill Pay and how does it work?

Mastercard Bill Pay allows consumers to manage and pay their bills securely through financial service apps, streamlining personal finance management.

When was the acquisition of Arcus FI by Mastercard announced?

The acquisition was announced on a recent date, aimed at enhancing Mastercard's service offerings in Latin America.

What challenges might Mastercard face after acquiring Arcus FI?

Mastercard may encounter integration challenges as it merges Arcus' operations, technology, and client base into its existing frameworks.