Mastercard Caters to Hongkongers’ Needs Amid Pandemic in First Half of 2020

Initiatives and services in quick response to COVID-19-related needs, furthering the development of Hong Kong as a smart city

Hong Kong people have experienced a challenging first half of 2020, but the city now starts to move toward stabilization and recovery. According to the recent Mastercard global consumer survey, contactless transactions have grown for more than 40 percent globally in the first quarter of 2020¹, in correlation with today’s “new normal” when people are looking for safer and more hygienic ways to transact.

In Hong Kong, Mastercard has started to actively provide new options that fit people’s evolving lifestyles and practices to mitigate the challenges brought by COVID-19, including digital payment offers with services that range from food and shopping, to accommodation, transportation and education.

Digital Payments for New Hong Kong Lifestyle

With many Hongkongers avoiding crowded places and adapting eat-at-home habits, partnerships between Mastercard and online food takeaway and delivery services such as OpenRice and Deliveroo, as well as intelligent hot-meal vending machine EC Bento, have offered a safer and more convenient way to get their meals picked up or delivered at home and at work.

Cardholders can also enjoy a wider array of online shopping options, ranging from fashion, beauty, health, anti- epidemic protection and health-related products from Catalo, Farfetch, Germagic, lookfantastic, Myprotein and MyBag, providing a more boundless shopping experience.

In addition, Mastercard is working closely with local partners including Hang Lung Properties, education platform GRWTH and taxi-hailing app HKTaxi, providing privileges to cardholders when using Mastercard card. Transportation all over the city has just become much more hassle-free in Long Win Bus, where Mastercard contactless payments are now accepted.

Mastercard understands the hygiene-related concerns of the general public, and acknowledges the need for more digital payment options in order to cater to diversified needs. For a more focused service, a convenient and safe cashless way for landlords and tenants to make transactions for residential rental payment was also created through the partnership between Mastercard and KeyChain Pay. For a broader digital payment usage, the ability to top up and add Octopus in Hong Kong and BNU Mastercard credit and debit cards in Macau, respectively, on a popular mobile wallet are also now available.

Digitalization Support for Local SMEs

As part of its commitment to supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong, Mastercard has launched Tap on Phone, a first-of-its-kind solution in partnership with Dah Sing Bank and BBPOS MSL, which allows SMEs to accept contactless card payments via mobile phones.

Furthermore, Mastercard understands the need for SMEs to be digitalized and acquires the ability to serve their customers through digital platforms. Recognizing the shift toward digital commerce, business cardholders are provided by Mastercard with commercial offers that aim to help SMEs in Hong Kong to go digital and recover from the economic impact brought by the spread of the coronavirus.

Global Commitments and Initiatives

In March this year, Mastercard announced its contribution to efforts in combating the further spread of COVID- 19 by joining hands with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust, committing up to US$125 million in seed funding to establish the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, which develops and scales treatments for global deployment.

Mastercard later extended its commitment to financial inclusion worldwide, pledging to bring a total of one billion people and 50 million micro and small businesses into the digital economy by 2025. As part of this effort, 25 million women entrepreneurs will be provided with solutions that can help them grow their businesses.

Going beyond financial and entrepreneurial commitments, Mastercard has also extended the access to its signature STEM curriculum, Girls4Tech, through a suite of new online, creative educational resources – allowing teachers and parents to download lessons to help young students anywhere in the world learn more about STEM topics at home.

Moreover, Mastercard is also working with its global ambassadors to craft a series of unique Digital Priceless Experiences for cardholders’ enjoyment and entertainment while staying safe at home amid the pandemic. For example, Camila Cabello featured new renditions of her hit songs as two-time Grand Slam™ winner Naomi Osaka served up a family-favorite recipe.

Global Recognition

Mastercard prioritizes safety and security, ensuring every transaction is protected. With this in mind, the Mastercard Sonic Brand has been introduced to Hong Kong this year, which accompanies payments with a sound that indicates cardholders’ successful and securely made payment. It is worth noting that the sonic innovation topped this year’s list of Best Audio Brands Ranking 2020 and was added to a long list of accolades collected by the global payment company over the years. On top of all these achievements, Mastercard also received awards and recognitions in the first half of 2020, which include being named this year’s Global Brand of the Year by the New York Festivals Advertising Awards, which praised its fearless commitment to creativity and innovation.

¹ Growth calculated as the percentage increase incontactless transactions compared to the percentage increase in non- contactless transactions, comparing March 2020 to March 2019, in the grocery and pharmacy categories. Source: Mastercard Data Warehouse

About Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

Mastercard Communications Contact

Karen Lo
Karen.Lo@mastercard.com

Janus Lau
Janus.Lau@mastercard.com

Mastercard’s Agency Communications Contact

Vicky Lo
(852) 2533 9940
vlo@webershandwick.com

Sam Cho
(852) 2533 9982/ 9558 8495
scho@webershandwick.com