Mastercard facing DOJ probe into debit practices

Mastercard card

Mastercard said it is under investigation by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division regarding the company’s debit card program.

In March, the DOJ delivered a civil investigative demand (CID) to Mastercard concerning its debit program and competition with other payment networks and technologies, the company said in a first-quarter filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday.

The DOJ is probing whether Mastercard violated Sections 1 or 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, the company said. The Sherman Act gives federal agencies the power, under certain circumstances, to curb commercial activity that is viewed as anticompetitive.

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