EC Deepens Probe into Visa, Mastercard Over Scheme Fees Paid by Retailers

The European Commission is deepening a preliminary probe into whether Visa (V) and Mastercard’s (MA) scheme and processing fees unfairly harm competition in the card payments market.

Officials are looking at how the two dominant card networks set fees paid by acquirers such as Elavon and Global Payments and ultimately passed on to retailers—specifically scheme fees, processing fees, and fees for Market Development Funds. Regulators suspect these fee structures may break EU rules designed to stop big companies from abusing their power or limiting competition.

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