MasterCard partnered with Emerging Markets Payments, an Egypt-based electronic payments company,

to support card issuers in Egypt and Africa markets. By becoming "affiliates," regional banks and smaller card issuers will be able to issue prepaid, credit, debit and corporate cards, according to MasterCard. They will also have access to ATMs, point-of-sale services, technology and operations outsourcing services through EMP, and consulting services and data analytics through MasterCard. The partnership aims to "reduce the high cost of ownership of card programs," while consumers and business travelers "benefit from greater convenience, acceptance and security at millions of merchants worldwide," according to MasterCard.