Mastercard discontinued new Maestro issuance in Europe starting July 2023, and existing cards continue to be replaced with Debit Mastercard as they expire, in an ongoing transition period. France was a market where the domestic card network CB (with over 70 million cards issued) was already the default, so Maestro's share was never large, and it continues to shrink as the transition proceeds.

There is therefore no reason to make Maestro a standalone target when pursuing the French market — it's enough to take a complementary view, ensuring that as you build out card acceptance (CB, Visa, Mastercard), payments from remaining Maestro holders (particularly holders of cards issued in neighboring countries) are not declined.

Payments from existing Maestro cardholders follow the same flow as a standard debit card — card details are entered and then approved — with 3DS2 authentication applied under PSD2's SCA (Strong Customer Authentication) requirement. However, Maestro's online acceptance scope can be limited depending on the issuer and integration method, so actual acceptance eligibility needs to be confirmed before integrating.

When considering Hecto Financial's card payment integration, Maestro is handled less as a standalone method and more as part of the broader Mastercard acceptance scope. Since it is a brand with discontinued new issuance, we recommend discussing your overall card acceptance strategy, including the post-Debit Mastercard transition, together during consultation.

• Business registration country

  Confirm contract eligibility based on a Korea-registered business

• Remaining demand check

  Since this is a brand with discontinued new issuance, decide based on data showing what share of your customers attempt Maestro payments

• Product categories

  Check in advance whether your product categories fall under Maestro's restricted merchant categories

• EU regulatory compliance

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

Even when a Maestro transaction occurs, the funds arise in euros (EUR); Hecto Financial receives them, converts them, and settles in whichever of USD, KRW, or JPY is selected in the contract. The settlement cycle follows the contract terms, and refunds are processed as a cancellation of the original transaction. Since these are sales to EU consumers, the refund flow for the 14-day withdrawal right must be prepared the same way regardless of the card transition.

• Banque de France (Central Bank of France)Official information on France's payment systems and related regulations. If this page's content differs from actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.
• Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR)The authority that licenses and supervises payment service providers. Useful for confirming payment service regulations in France.