MasterCard Stored Value Forum Focuses on Multi-Trillion Dollar Global Prepaid Card Opportunity; Attendees Explore Ways to Capture Transactions Currently Made by Cash and Check.

PURCHASE, N.Y. -- MasterCard International today kicked off its third annual Stored Value Forum, a two-day event for the company's financial institution customers, alliance processors and third party marketing partners. The Forum brings together the industry's most influential players to explore ways to maximize participation in what is estimated to be a multi-trillion dollar global prepaid card opportunity by 2008.

MasterCard, which provides a complete array of prepaid solutions, has led the way in this rapidly emerging payment sector. MasterCard has achieved a number of stored value firsts, including an employee incentive card in 1996, healthcare benefit and payroll cards in 1997, an association branded gift card in 1998, as well as a suite of corporate prepaid products known as Workplace Solutions in 2002.

In 2004, MasterCard and its strategic partners launched nearly 800 new prepaid programs in the United States designed to meet the payment needs of consumers, businesses, and the public sector. This growth has continued in 2005, with gross dollar volume on MasterCard prepaid programs increasing 34 percent year-to-date, compared with the same period last year.

"Long gone are the days when prepaid was solely synonymous with long distance calls or store-bought gift certificates. Today prepaid cards are mainstream financial products applicable to virtually every type of transaction, in virtually every payment category, including consumer, business, and the public sector," said Ted Dargan, Vice President, Stored Value Team Lead for the Americas, MasterCard International. "Prepaid cards can take on cash and checks where traditional credit or debit card programs may not fit the payment need. We estimate that the prepaid opportunity in the U.S. alone is more than $2.5 trillion."

Ruth Ann Marshall, president of the Americas, MasterCard International, delivered the Stored Value Forum's opening address before an audience of approximately 300 payment industry professionals.

"Stored value is one of the fastest growing forms of payment," said Marshall. "I sense we're on the cusp of something great because with prepaid we really can render checks obsolete and dethrone cash in nearly every payment setting." She added, "No matter what the payment situation, there's a prepaid card to meet the need."

Attendees at the MasterCard Stored Value Forum participate in a variety of breakout sessions led by MasterCard payments professionals, providing information on tactics, strategies, and MasterCard prepaid products. A sampling of breakout meetings includes:

--The Convergence of Financial Services and Healthcare: Emerging Trends

--Security, Risk Management & Brand Standards: Best Practices

--The Public Sector: Distributing Funds to People in Need

--Credit-building: Leveraging Prepaid to Cross-sell Financial Relationships

--Latin America: Regional Market Opportunities

"With prepaid fast becoming as important a payment option as credit and debit cards, financial institutions must identify which segment is right for their particular business," said Dargan. "Whether it's reloadable gift cards for consumers, payroll cards for businesses, health savings accounts for employees or electronic benefit cards for the public sector, MasterCard has a solution to get issuers in the mix."

About MasterCard International

MasterCard International is a leading global payments solutions company that provides a broad variety of innovative services in support of our global members' credit, deposit access, electronic cash, business-to-business and related payment programs. MasterCard International manages a family of well-known, widely accepted payment card brands including MasterCard(R), Maestro(R) and Cirrus(R) and serves financial institutions, consumers and businesses in over 210 countries and territories. The MasterCard award-winning Priceless(R) advertising campaign is now seen in 96 countries and in 47 languages, giving the MasterCard brand a truly global reach and scope. For more information go to www.mastercardinternational.com