Coles deal structured to deter Eftpos routing, Australian Mastercard trial told
By Saloni Sinha ( April 29, 2026, 08:39 GMT | Insight) -- Mastercard’s agreement with Coles was designed in part to protect transaction volumes and limit the appeal of routing debit payments through Eftpos, an Australian court heard on Wednesday in an antitrust trial brought by the country’s competition watchdog. In a Federal Court hearing, the lawyer for the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, pointed Mastercard’s Asia Pacific president Richard Wormald to internal documents and contract terms suggesting that grocery retailer Coles risked losing credit benefits if it shifted transaction volumes away from the Mastercard network.Mastercard’s agreement with Coles was designed in part to protect transaction volumes and limit the appeal of routing debit payments through Eftpos, an Australian court heard on Wednesday in an antitrust trial brought by the country’s competition watchdog....
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