RS2 Financial Services’ innovation arm Beyond by RS2 has achieved principal issuing member status with Mastercard in Europe.
This new position gives the company the complete rights to introduce and oversee payment card programmes across the region directly.
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It places Beyond by RS2 among firms in Europe with full issuing privileges, allowing it to support businesses such as corporates, banks, retailers, and fintechs in establishing and expanding card programmes.
The company’s issuing capabilities now include BIN sponsorship, enabling firms to launch card schemes without their own licence.
It also offers co-branded card solutions designed for a variety of organisations, including sports clubs and retailers.
A range of card products is available through Beyond by RS2, covering credit, debit, commercial, and prepaid cards in both digital and physical forms, with compatibility for Google Pay and Apple Pay.
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By GlobalDataBeyond by RS2 claims to provide comprehensive management of programmes, addressing aspects like branded card creation, customer service, fraud monitoring, regulatory compliance, and is helping businesses to introduce services swiftly and securely throughout the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA).
With issuing capabilities now accompanying its existing acquiring and processing services, Beyond by RS2 presents a consolidated payments solution for organisations seeking entry or expansion within the sector.
RS2 Financial Services CEO Jens Mahlke said: “Achieving Mastercard principal issuing status marks an exciting new chapter for Beyond by RS2.
“We can now help our clients bring innovative payment products to market faster, from co-branded cards to full-service issuing, while giving them the confidence of operating under our regulated framework.”
Meanwhile, in a separate development, Visa and Mastercard are reportedly close to reaching a settlement with merchants, set to resolve a legal dispute that has lasted two decades, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing familiar sources.
Sources said that the proposed agreement would see Visa and Mastercard reduce credit card interchange fees—which typically range from 2% to 2.5%—by an average of approximately 0.1% point over a period of several years.
Additionally, the settlement would relax existing rules that require merchants accepting one type of credit card from a network to accept all cards.
