By integrating Orbiscom's patented payment technologies with MasterCard's unparalleled global processing platform, MasterCard is uniquely positioned to offer a powerful and flexible platform that can help issuers efficiently customize their products based on specific consumer or corporate cardholder needs.

"Traditionally, issuers have had limited options to provide the transaction controls their cardholders want. They were reliant on building in-house solutions, which tend to be costly and have a lengthy lead-time to market," said Wendy Murdock, Chief Product Officer, MasterCard Worldwide. "With MasterCard inControl, MasterCard will host a service that provides robust, customizable and scalable features. For issuers, MasterCard inControl offers an innovative way to address cardholders' needs while also lowering risk and increasing speed-to-market."

The MasterCard inControl platform will allow issuers to leverage both "off-the-shelf" solutions as well as create customized offerings depending on the needs of their customers. Among the advanced new features issuers can leverage in support of their commercial and consumer card portfolios are:

• Enhanced authorization controls that direct how, when and where cards may be used to a greater level of specificity than previously supported.
• Intelligent routing capability that enables a transaction to be routed through to the appropriate funding source at authorization time, depending on the transaction characteristics.
• Robust alert functionality that provides personalized real-time communication on transaction activities.
• A one-time use number feature that allows authorization, spending limits and usability controls to be set on a transaction-by-transaction basis, providing enhanced levels of security, control, data capture and traceability on every purchase.

The first application to be launched later this year from the MasterCard inControl platform is a solution which provides enhanced purchase ccontrols for the MasterCard Corporate Purchasing Card. In addition to other capabilities, this application allows for the generation of a unique MasterCard inControl number for every transaction.

"For corporations, the MasterCard inControl purchase control application will address a myriad of needs," said Steve Abrams, Global Group Executive, Commercial Products, MasterCard Worldwide. "It will help them reduce maverick spend and fraud while improving compliance with corporate policies and simplifying accounting. Beyond the control and compliance aspect, this application can help to dramatically streamline their payment processes by decreasing the amount of payments made with cash and checks and increasing the number of transactions made with card and electronic payments."

MasterCard and Orbiscom are currently developing other turn-key MasterCard inControl applications. Information on these additional applications will be provided as they are launched.

"We are delighted to formalize our relationship with MasterCard Worldwide," said Garry Lyons, Chief Executive Officer of Orbiscom. "We have worked closely with MasterCard in the past, helping them and their clients grow transaction volume using Orbiscom Controlled Payment Number solutions. Now, with the launch of MasterCard inControl, their issuers worldwide will have streamlined access to a range of innovative Commercial Card, Consumer Card and Alternative Payment solutions, all designed to leverage and enhance existing card payment products and drive more transactions onto these programs. We are very much looking forward to working with MasterCard to make MasterCard inControl an integral part of the next generation of card payments."