Mastercard SPME §8.7.3 · May 2023 → Sep 2023

Mastercard Notification to Acquirers

substantive

The section was replaced with detailed tables outlining non-performance assessments for acquirers based on Brazil GCMS domestic transaction volume and the number of violations within twelve months. It also added mitigation options for assessments and introduced issuer interchange recovery procedures related to MCC miscoding cases.

Sources Mastercard SPME · May 2023 · page 95 PDF Mastercard SPME · Sep 2023 · page 89 PDF KYB Acquirer current
Also in §8.x this release breaking §8.6.7 Franchise Management Program (FMP) Questionnaire-based Review substantive §8.3.4 Additional ECM and HECM Requirements substantive §8.4 Questionable Merchant Audit Program (QMAP) substantive §8.4.1 QMAP Definitions substantive §8.4.2 Mastercard Commencement of an Investigation substantive §8.4.4 Mastercard Notification to Acquirers substantive §8.4.6 Mastercard Determination substantive §8.4.7 Chargeback Responsibility substantive §8.6.2 Investigation Process substantive §8.6.6 MATCH Reporting substantive §8.7.4 Mastercard Determination substantive §8.7.5 Assessments, Recovery Amounts, and Fees
Why these edits? The new detailed tables and assessment procedures for acquirer non-performance and issuer interchange recovery specifically relate to acquirer obligations, particularly in managing MCC miscoding cases and resulting penalties, which directly affect the Acquirer KYB (Know Your Business) Obligations policy citing section 2.1.
Mastercard SPME §8.7.3
This section was substantively restructured between versions (4% text overlap). Compare the texts directly below.
Before · May 2023 · page 95

Security Rules and Procedures—Merchant Edition • 7 February 2023

  • Not substantiated. If not substantiated, the notification will include information on the Issuer Filing Fee.
  • Substantiated. If substantiated, the notification will include information on the applicable assessments, recovery amounts, and fees.
After · Sep 2023 · page 89

Security Rules and Procedures—Merchant Edition • 1 August 2023

8.7.5.2 Acquirer Non-Performance Assessments Mastercard may bill an Acquirer for non-performance assessments for each impacted Merchant ID (MID) for a substantiated claim as described in the table below: Miscoded Brazil GCMS Domestic Transaction Volume Non-Performance Assessment Less than BRL 5,000,000 Up to BRL 10,000 More than BRL 5,000,000 but less than BRL 30,000,000 Up to BRL 50,000 More than BRL 30,000,000 Up to BRL 150,000 Non-performance assessments may be escalated as described in the below tables. For the second violation within twelve months: Miscoded Brazil GCMS Domestic Transaction Volume Non-Performance Assessment Less than BRL 5,000,000 Up to BRL 20,000 More than BRL 5,000,000 but less than BRL 30,000,000 Up to BRL 100,000 More than BRL 30,000,000 Up to BRL 300,000 For the third violation within twelve months: Miscoded Brazil GCMS Domestic Transaction Volume Non-Performance Assessment Less than BRL 5,000,000 Up to BRL 30,000 More than BRL 5,000,000 but less than BRL 30,000,000 Up to BRL 150,000 More than BRL 30,000,000 Up to BRL 450,000 For the fourth and subsequent violations within twelve months: Miscoded Brazil GCMS Domestic Transaction Volume Non-Performance Assessment Less than BRL 5,000,000 Up to BRL 40,000 Mastercard Fraud Control Programs 8.7.5.2 Acquirer Non-Performance Assessments Security Rules and Procedures—Merchant Edition • 1 August 2023

Miscoded Brazil GCMS Domestic Transaction Volume Non-Performance Assessment More than BRL 5,000,000 but less than BRL 30,000,000 Up to BRL 200,000 More than BRL 30,000,000 Up to BRL 600,000 Acquirer Non-Performance Assessments may be mitigated at the Corporation’s discretion, using the below guidance:

  • Mitigated by 50% if the Qualifying Merchant is recoded with an appropriate MCC within 5 calendar days of the Corporation’s notification.
  • Mitigated by 25% if the Qualifying Merchant is recoded with an appropriate MCC within fifteen calendar days of the Corporation’s notification. 8.7.5.3 Issuer Interchange Recovery (Collected from the Acquirer(s) and Credited to the Issuers(s)) Mastercard will calculate and assess Acquirers for Issuer Interchange Recovery by applying adjustments to the interchange rate submitted for each Transaction processed through GCMS within a substantiated claim. The interchange adjustment will be made based on the calculated differential between the interchange rates submitted for each Transaction processed through GCMS within a substantiated claim and the interchange rates that should have been submitted based on the validity or accuracy of the MCC data, at the product level. In instances where the Acquirer is unable to identify the appropriate MCC or fails to recode the Qualifying Merchant with an appropriate MCC within the required time frame, Mastercard may calculate the interchange adjustment based on the differential between the interchange rate submitted for each Transaction processed through GCMS within a substantiated claim and the highest Brazil interchange rates by product. Mastercard will debit each responsible Acquirer the Issuer Interchange Recovery amount for each substantiated claim and credit each impacted Issuer through the settlement process for each substantiated claim. Actual recovery provided to each impacted Issuer will vary depending on the extent and duration of the violation, the number of Transactions and Transaction Volume processed through GCMS by each Issuer, and will be paid solely out of the amounts Mastercard collects from the responsible Acquirer(s) for the Issuer Interchange Recovery amount. Mastercard Fraud Control Programs 8.7.5.3 Issuer Interchange Recovery (Collected from the Acquirer(s) and Credited to the Issuers(s)) Security Rules and Procedures—Merchant Edition • 1 August 2023 Chapter 9 Mastercard Registration Program This chapter may be of particular interest to Customer personnel responsible for registering Merchants, Submerchants, and other entities with Mastercard. The Mastercard Registration Program (MRP) formerly was referred to as the Merchant Registration Program.
Halyard Pay · 2 files
program: Acquirer KYB
- authority: Mastercard SPME 2.1, 11.2.6
+ authority: Mastercard SPME 2.1, 8.7.5.2, 8.7.5.3, 11.2.6
required_documents:
- incorporation
- beneficial_ownership
- aml_screen
- license_verification
min_review_cycle_days: 365
suspension_trigger: document_collection_failure
record_retention_years: 7
aml_watchlist_sources:
- ofac_sdn
- eu_consolidated
agent_owner: kyb_agent
- # The Acquirer must specifically retain all MATCH records concerning any Merchant, Sponsored Merchant, or ATM owner for at least two years following the termination or expiration of the related agreement, per Mastercard SPME 11.2.6.
- # This retention requirement updates prior guidance by imposing a defined minimum retention period beyond the MATCH system's internal data purging schedule.
+ # The Acquirer must retain all MATCH records for Merchants, Sponsored Merchants, or ATM owners for at least two years post-termination as per Mastercard SPME 11.2.6.
+ # New Mastercard rules in SPME 8.7.5.2 and 8.7.5.3 introduce non-performance assessments for acquirers related to MCC miscoding in Brazil,
+ # with escalating penalties based on transaction volume and repeated violations, as well as issuer interchange recovery mechanisms.
+ # Acquirers must monitor Merchant Category Code accuracy and promptly recode qualifying merchants to mitigate potential financial penalties.

Acquirer KYB (Know Your Business) Obligations

Acquirers processing transactions on the Mastercard network are required to perform

Know Your Business (KYB) due diligence on merchants before onboarding and on a

recurring basis thereafter. Halyard Pay, as an acquirer, must collect and verify a

minimum set of documents for each merchant to establish business legitimacy, confirm

beneficial ownership, and satisfy anti-money laundering screening requirements.

When this policy applies

This policy applies to all new merchant onboarding and to all periodic re-verification

reviews. Merchants that fail to supply required documentation within the stipulated

period must be suspended from processing until compliance is restored.

Required actions

  1. Collect all required KYB documents at onboarding prior to approval.

  2. Conduct AML screening against applicable watchlists before approval.

  3. Verify business licenses for regulated merchant categories.

  4. Schedule a full re-verification review at least once every 365 days.

  5. Document all verification outcomes and retain records for audit purposes.

  6. Retain all MATCH system records related to Merchants, Sponsored Merchants, or ATM owners for a minimum of two years after termination or expiration of the applicable agreement, to comply with Mastercard's explicit record retention requirements.

7. Understand and comply with Mastercard's updated non-performance assessments and issuer interchange recovery procedures related to MCC miscoding, recognizing that penalties escalate with repeated violations and prompt correction may result in mitigation.

Source authority: Mastercard SPME ��������2.1, §§2.1, 8.7.3, 11.2.6.

policies/kyb_acquirer/policy.md — after applying change

Acquirer KYB (Know Your Business) Obligations

Acquirers processing transactions on the Mastercard network are required to perform

Know Your Business (KYB) due diligence on merchants before onboarding and on a

recurring basis thereafter. Halyard Pay, as an acquirer, must collect and verify a

minimum set of documents for each merchant to establish business legitimacy, confirm

beneficial ownership, and satisfy anti-money laundering screening requirements.

When this policy applies

This policy applies to all new merchant onboarding and to all periodic re-verification

reviews. Merchants that fail to supply required documentation within the stipulated

period must be suspended from processing until compliance is restored.

Required actions

  1. Collect all required KYB documents at onboarding prior to approval.

  2. Conduct AML screening against applicable watchlists before approval.

  3. Verify business licenses for regulated merchant categories.

  4. Schedule a full re-verification review at least once every 365 days.

  5. Document all verification outcomes and retain records for audit purposes.

  6. Retain all MATCH system records related to Merchants, Sponsored Merchants, or ATM owners for a minimum of two years after termination or expiration of the applicable agreement, to comply with Mastercard's explicit record retention requirements.

7. Understand and comply with Mastercard's updated non-performance assessments and issuer interchange recovery procedures related to MCC miscoding, recognizing that penalties escalate with repeated violations and prompt correction may result in mitigation.

Source authority: Mastercard SPME ��������2.1, §§2.1, 8.7.3, 11.2.6.

Source authority: Mastercard SPME §8.7.3.

--- a/policies/kyb_acquirer/rules.yaml
+++ b/policies/kyb_acquirer/rules.yaml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 program: Acquirer KYB
-authority: Mastercard SPME 2.1, 11.2.6
+authority: Mastercard SPME 2.1, 8.7.5.2, 8.7.5.3, 11.2.6
 required_documents:
   - incorporation
   - beneficial_ownership
@@ -12,5 +12,7 @@
   - ofac_sdn
   - eu_consolidated
 agent_owner: kyb_agent
-# The Acquirer must specifically retain all MATCH records concerning any Merchant, Sponsored Merchant, or ATM owner for at least two years following the termination or expiration of the related agreement, per Mastercard SPME 11.2.6.
-# This retention requirement updates prior guidance by imposing a defined minimum retention period beyond the MATCH system's internal data purging schedule.+# The Acquirer must retain all MATCH records for Merchants, Sponsored Merchants, or ATM owners for at least two years post-termination as per Mastercard SPME 11.2.6.
+# New Mastercard rules in SPME 8.7.5.2 and 8.7.5.3 introduce non-performance assessments for acquirers related to MCC miscoding in Brazil,
+# with escalating penalties based on transaction volume and repeated violations, as well as issuer interchange recovery mechanisms.
+# Acquirers must monitor Merchant Category Code accuracy and promptly recode qualifying merchants to mitigate potential financial penalties.

--- a/policies/kyb_acquirer/policy.md
+++ b/policies/kyb_acquirer/policy.md
@@ -20,5 +20,6 @@
 4. Schedule a full re-verification review at least once every 365 days.
 5. Document all verification outcomes and retain records for audit purposes.
 6. Retain all MATCH system records related to Merchants, Sponsored Merchants, or ATM owners for a minimum of two years after termination or expiration of the applicable agreement, to comply with Mastercard's explicit record retention requirements.
+7. Understand and comply with Mastercard's updated non-performance assessments and issuer interchange recovery procedures related to MCC miscoding, recognizing that penalties escalate with repeated violations and prompt correction may result in mitigation.
 
-Source authority: Mastercard SPME 2.1, 11.2.6.+Source authority: Mastercard SPME §§2.1, 8.7.3, 11.2.6.