MasterCard International has launched a new suite of payment solutions for corporate payroll programmes and expenses management.
The first programme to be rolled out will be the MasterCard Payroll Card, which enables employers to securely distribute wages to employees on a payment card as an alternative to issuing payroll cheques. The card system integrates with current payroll processing systems managed by third-parties.
The card may be used by employees to purchase goods and services at more than 24 million locations, and to access cash at more than 790,000 MasterCard/Maestro/Cirrus ATM locations worldwide.
Several MasterCard members have already signed up to use the payroll card, including ABN Amro, Bankfirst, Citibank, Comerica, First Banks, JP Morgan Chase and KeyBank.
Steve Abrams, senior vice president, MasterCard corporate payment solutions, comments: "MasterCard Workplace Solutions will give issuers the best payments choices and service - at minimal investment - as they customise solutions to meet the needs of organisations to better manage employee payroll and other workplace initiatives."
The Workplace Solutions suite will also include additional programmes designed to provide an alternative to disbursements for employee incentives, meeting planning expenses, and travel per diems by interfacing with current company systems, says Abrams.
MasterCard says that employee incentive programmes alone comprise a market potential of more than $25 billion.
The solutions will be rolled out to Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, by year end.