MasterCard pays out $61 million to settle Tesco interchange suit

MasterCard has paid out $61 million to UK supermarket retailer Tesco in what is expected to be the first of several settlements by card schemes over interchange fee lawsuits lodged by UK retailers.

MasterCard has settled an interchange-related case with Tesco

MasterCard chief financial officer Martina Hund-Mejean announced the settlement during the company’s earnings call, saying: “We have been settling with Tesco, which is the largest merchant claimant in this litigation. We are pleased that that is behind us.”

Tesco was one of 20 UK retailers which filed suit against MasterCard in 2013 alleging historic overpayment of “anti-competitive” interchange fees. Asda, William Morrison Supermarkets, Arcadia Group, Comet, Iceland and at least six other UK chains have also commenced legal proceedings against Visa over payment processing fees.

Earlier in July, EU anti-trust regulators issued a formal statement of objections against MasterCard, accusing the card scheme of using its rules to artificially inflate fees and of over-charging retailers for purchases made by non-EU cardholders. The UK Government has also commenced consultation on interchange fee caps which are set to come into force across the EU at the end of the year.

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