Mastercard emails link deals to blocking Eftpos routing, Australia trial hears
By Saloni Sinha ( May 5, 2026, 08:12 GMT | Insight) -- Internal Mastercard emails suggest the company considered tying “strategic merchant” rates for retailers to limits on routing debit transactions via rival Eftpos network, an Australian antitrust trial heard. In a Federal Court hearing on Tuesday, lawyer James Arnott, acting for the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission pointed Mastercard’s Surin Fernando to a 2017 internal email relating to supermarket operator Woolworths’ strategic-merchant agreement.Internal Mastercard emails suggest the company considered tying “strategic merchant” rates for retailers to limits on their routing debit transactions via rival Eftpos network, an Australian antitrust trial heard....
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