MasterCard Profit Beats Expectations, Set To Discount 4% Globally; Shares rise

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MasterCard beat Wall Street expectations for fourth-quarter profit on resilient costs, and said it would lay off about 4% of its global workforce to refocus on investments in various sectors.

Executives at the firm told analysts that the restructuring would result in a charge of about $200 million in the current quarter.

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On 29 January 2026, 02:30 AM IST

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“Recently, we completed a strategic review of our business. This will result in reductions in some areas and roles, but will lead to greater investment and increased focus in others,” said CEO Michael Meibach.

The job cuts could affect up to 1,400 employees by December 2024, based on a total workforce of about 35,300 employees, according to the company’s latest annual filing.

Shares of Mastercard rose more than 1.7% in early trading.


Consumer spending is elastic

Spending has largely held steady despite concerns about economic uncertainty fueled by US President Donald Trump’s trade policies, sticky inflation and a sluggish labor market.

MasterCard’s gross dollar volume, the value of all transactions processed on its platform, rose 7% in the quarter, boosted by resilient spending on travel, leisure and everyday essentials.

Households continue to prioritize necessities, while higher earners show little sign of pulling back on discretionary purchases.

MasterCard also reported a 14% jump in cross-border volumes, a metric that tracks spending on cards outside the country in which they were issued.

The company is the first of Wall Street’s biggest payment processors to post earnings this quarter, with rival Visa set to report later in the day and American Express results due as early as Friday.

The US Credit card balances have increased in recent quarters for banks, signaling continued lending demand despite higher interest rates.

MasterCard reported adjusted profit of $4.76 per share, beating analysts’ average expectations of $4.25, and revenue of $8.81 billion, beating estimates of $8.78 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

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