MasterCard International Hosts 2006 Global Public Sector Forum; Event Shines Light on Future of Public Sector Payments

Business Wire, April 19, 2006

PURCHASE, N.Y. -- MasterCard International's 2006 Global Public Sector Forum will open today in Washington, D.C. The two-day annual event provides a forum for more than 150 public sector payments professionals to discuss best practices with colleagues from around the world.

Attendees include representatives from MasterCard member financial institutions; U.S. federal, state and local government agencies; and international public sector organizations. The forum will feature discussion about the need for more-effective card program administration through better use of risk management and business intelligence tools to track spending; improve transparency; ensure policy compliance; and control waste, fraud and card misuse.

"The goal of the 2006 Global Public Sector Forum is to provide attendees with valuable insight into the future of public sector payment card programs," said Eva Robinson, vice president, Global Public Sector Business Development at MasterCard International. "Payment cards have become indispensable to the efficient management of financial assets, and our goal is to encourage dialogue that will help public sector organizations become better stewards of public funds."

During the opening day of the forum, professor Richard Palmer of Eastern Illinois University will debut the results of his 2005 Purchasing Card Benchmark Survey, focusing on trends and best practices in government-managed card programs.

"Payment cards remain powerful tools to streamline costs and reduce purchase cycles. Our survey indicates that average cost per transaction with a purchasing card is only 25 percent of the average cost to complete a traditional, paper-based transaction," Palmer said. "Driven by new technologies and advances in electronic and management controls, methods and procedures, the potential for U.S. federal payment cards programs remains great."

The second day of the forum will be devoted to discussing global public sector programs. It will feature panel discussions about effective card programs including travel, fleet, one-card and prepaid programs, and an Innovations Showcase covering the key technologies agencies can leverage for effective government card program management.

In addition, the second day will feature discussions about opportunities and challenges in the European Union. Among the presenters is Gustavo Piga, professor of economics at the University of Rome.

"Today, the European Union is increasingly focused on ways to reduce wasteful public spending, encourage competition and promote accountability,"

said Piga. "The public sector procurement card, while still largely underutilized compared with use in the U.S., could constitute a tremendously important instrument in the hands of EU policy-makers. The MasterCard Global Public Sector Forum provides a venue to explore available procurement solutions and discuss the ongoing efforts to strengthen EU economic policies."

About MasterCard Public Sector Payment Programs

MasterCard International has developed products and services that help public sector organizations conduct their work more efficiently and economically. Whether serving a federal government, city government, university, school district, public utility or hospital, MasterCard aims to provide best-in-class card programs and payment solutions tailored to the needs of public sector clients.

Key benefits offered by MasterCard payments solutions include these:

--Unsurpassed global payment acceptance

--Enhanced transaction data and authorization controls

--Comprehensive reporting (with added capabilities for state and local governments)

--Increased savings and efficiency

--Unified data capture

--Ability to retrieve the most precise socioeconomic information available

To learn more about MasterCard payment card programs available to public sector agencies, please visit http://www.mastercard.com/gov.> About MasterCard International

MasterCard International is a leading global payments solutions company that provides a broad variety of innovative services in support of our global members' credit, deposit access, electronic cash, business-to-business and related payment programs. MasterCard, through its principal operating subsidiary, MasterCard International Incorporated, manages a family of well-known, widely accepted payment card brands including MasterCard(R), Maestro(R) and Cirrus(R) and serves financial institutions, consumers and businesses in over 210 countries and territories. The MasterCard award-winning Priceless(R) advertising campaign is now seen in 105 countries and in 48 languages, giving the MasterCard brand a truly global reach and scope. For more information go to www.mastercardinternational.com.