MasterCard and Aduno Group Announce First European EMV Contactless Credit Card Transaction at McDonald’s

Waterloo, Belgium, March 29, 2007–MasterCard Europe further extended its leadership in the contactless payment segment today with the announcement of the first European card based OneSmart MasterCard® PayPass™ transaction at McDonald’s. The leading global foodservice retailer, with its European headquarters in Crissier, is a key partner in a new MasterCard PayPass pilot in Switzerland, organised by Swiss banking company, the Aduno Group.

Using MasterCard PayPass, consumers can simply tap their new Aduno Group MasterCard card on a PayPass reader to make a purchase in selected McDonald’s restaurants across Switzerland. The innovative technology allows small value purchases under $25 to be completed quickly, securely and easily, without the need for consumers to fumble for cash and coins, swipe a card or sign a receipt.

The current Miss Switzerland, Christa Rigozzi, made the milestone purchase in McDonald’s Zurich Stadelhofen restaurant, using the new generation MasterCard PayPass card–powered by the latest version of MasterCard’s chip technology, M/Chip 4.

Toni Merschen, Global Head of Chip, MasterCard Worldwide, said, “Today is a very important landmark on our journey to extend contactless payments across Europe and replace cumbersome cash with speed, convenience and security for MasterCard cardholders.

“Introducing contactless payments in Switzerland with MasterCard Europe will revolutionise the payment process”, said Beat Stocker, CEO of the Aduno Group. “In a society where time has become a precious commodity, PayPass satisfies the payment needs of both retailers and end users. Consumers have never before been able to make small, every day purchases in such an easy, quick and yet secure way.”

Martin Kroll, Managing Director, McDonald’s Switzerland, said: “Our success is based on the formula of fast, friendly service, best quality, cleanliness and an attractive balance between price and performance. We believe the MasterCard PayPass programme to be a perfect fit with this successful formula.”

Selected merchants in three Swiss cities, Zurich, Lausanne and Lugano, and 1,000 cardholders from existing Aduno Group customers will take part in the pilot project. Following the initial pilot phase, the market launch of MasterCard PayPass in Switzerland is planned for later this year by the Aduno Group.

MasterCard PayPass is already used widely at McDonald’s restaurants in the US, along with more than 46,000 other merchant locations around the world, including Starbucks, 7-Eleven, CVS, Duane Reade, Sheetz and Regal Entertainment Group. The technology has also proved popular outside retail locations, such as sports facilities, with PayPass now accepted in football and baseball stadiums and at professional golfing events.

The launch of the PayPass pilot in Switzerland further extends MasterCard’s leadership position in the contactless payments market. In July 2006, MasterCard launched Europe’s first PayPass credit card programme with Garanti Bank in Turkey. Also in 2006, MasterCard announced Europe’s first Maestro® PayPass debit trial in the UK with the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) at its headquarters in Edinburgh, the extension of the pilot with RBS to London and two major new PayPass credit pilots in France, in Strasbourg and Toulouse. MasterCard won the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award for its achievements in the contactless payments sector.

“MasterCard PayPass is a leading contactless payment programme and by the end of last year, we already had nearly 13 million PayPass cards in use across the world today”, said Cathleen Conforti, MasterCard Worldwide Group Head, Global PayPass. “With leading banking partners such as the Aduno Group and global brands like McDonald’s recognising the strong consumer demand and business benefits for making payments quicker, easier and safer, the new era of contactless payments is imminent in Europe.”

About MasterCard Europe

MasterCard Europe is the entity responsible for managing MasterCard Worldwide’s business in Europe – for Europe. With headquarters in Waterloo, Belgium, MasterCard Europe works with 51 European countries organized administratively into three customer areas, incorporating the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), mature markets and the developing markets of Europe, stretching as far afield as the eastern border of Russia. Through its network of local offices, MasterCard Europe can understand and meet the diverse needs of customers in the very different types of markets throughout Europe, enabling people to do business in their own way in their own language.

Through MasterCard Worldwide, MasterCard Europe offers its European customers and consumers access to leading payment services throughout the world. MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes over 16 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants. Through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to http://www.mastercard.com.

About the Aduno Group

Founded in 2006, the Aduno Group is a leading player in the world of cashless payments. As the umbrella brand of the issuer Viseca Card Services SA and the acquirer Aduno SA, the Group handles card issuing for over 980,000 credit cards as well as acceptance contracts for more than 48,000 merchants in Switzerland.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants in more than 100 countries. Approximately 70 percent of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local men and women. Please visit http://www.mcdonalds.com to learn more about the company.