Maestro is a debit card brand for which Mastercard stopped new issuance in Europe as of July 2023, and existing cards are being replaced with Debit Mastercard as they expire. Even in the Czech Republic, where cards and bank transfers are central to online payments, the remaining Maestro card base is on a downward trend, so this method should be understood not as a growth driver but as a way to keep serving payments from existing cardholders whose transition isn't yet complete.

For a merchant newly entering the Czech market, the recommended order is to first put standard Visa/Mastercard card acceptance, online banking transfers, and wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay in place, and add Maestro only once payment logs actually confirm attempts with that card. There's no need to allocate separate marketing resources to a method in transition.

The payment flow is the same as for a standard debit card. When a consumer pays with their card details, authorization runs through the Mastercard network, and Strong Customer Authentication (SCA / 3DS2) under PSD2 may apply. Hecto Financial receives the approved funds, converts them, and settles to the Korean merchant in whichever currency — USD, KRW, or JPY — was selected under the contract. That said, keep in mind that this is a method whose transaction volume itself is shrinking due to the halt in new issuance.

Since Maestro is a transitional method with new issuance halted, Hecto Financial guides its integration as part of standard Visa/Mastercard card acceptance rather than as a standalone adoption. Contract eligibility on the basis of your Korean corporation and detailed terms should be confirmed through a consultation.

• Business registration country

  Confirm contract eligibility based on domestic business registration

• Sales channel

  The integration method and priority vary depending on your online sales channel mix — owned mall, open marketplace, mobile app, and so on

• Product category

  Check in advance whether your products fall under categories restricted by Maestro's merchant policy

• EU regulatory compliance

  Confirm compliance with EU payment regulations such as PSD2 and SEPA (see official sources below)

The settlement structure is the same as for other card methods. Hecto Financial receives the local-currency (CZK) proceeds, converts them, and pays out in the contracted currency — USD, KRW, or JPY — with the cycle following the contract terms. Refunds are generally returned to the original card, but if the card has since been replaced with a Debit Mastercard, the refund routing needs to be confirmed in advance, and refunds arising from an EU consumer's 14-day right of withdrawal are processed through the same route.

• Czech National Bank (Česká národní banka, ČNB)Official information on the Czech payment system and supervision of payment services. If this page's content differs from the actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.