Card payment schemes or associations own the brand names and they allow agents to use their brand names to sell their products for example credit and debit cards. The leading associations are MasterCard, Visa, China Union Pay, JCB and American Express.

card payment schemes

The main business carried out by card payment schemes is processing of card transactions between acquiring banks and the issuing banks. A list of the card payment schemes below, showing links to the NYSE:

MasterCard Worldwide (NYSE: MA) card payment schemes

This is a multinational company from America.  Since 2006, mastercard has been listed and publically traded, meaning anyone can invest in Mastercard shares.

Visa Inc.( NYSE: V) card payment schemes

Visa is also an American global corporate. The head quarters are in San Francisco, California. Visa is also listed in the NYSE, though this is a recent listed. Visa has operated since 1966 when it was founded.

Japan Credit Bureau (JCB) card payment schemes

This company was founded in 1961 and in 1968 it bought Osaka credit bureau. The purchase made the card get dominance over the credit card market in Japan. JCB co. Limited is its English name. JCB issues cards in twenty countries

American Express Company (NYSE: AXP), card payment schemes

AmEx is another name for American express company. This company was founded in 1850 with head quarters in New York. It forms one of the thirty components for the dow Jones industrial average. It is a global financial services firm. The AmEx charge cards, credit cards and travelers’ cheques have made this payment scheme very well known.

The company has a mascot which was adopted in 1958. This is the image of a centurion or a roman gladiator which appears on their travelers’ cheques and charge cards. AmEx has strategy to have their customers spend in large volumes which have paid off.

China unionpay card payment schemes

CUP is also referred to as Union pay, is a chiness card. It was founded in 2002 March. It is an approved card scheme by the central bank of China – people’s bank of china.  It is the only domestic bank card organization. China Union Pay acts as interbank network for China but Macau and Hong Kong. This card scheme also links ATMs for major banks and smaller banks. Funds transfer and point of sale are part of the network.

Both mastercard and Visa provide banks and financial institutions with branded payment products which are used for ATM, prepaid, credit and debit cards for customers.  Mastercard and Visa do not issue or Acquire cards so they do not extend credit or even set the fees and rates financial institution offer their customer.

China unionpay is one of the card payment schemes with potential to compete with the American Associations.