The first thing to understand is that Maestro is not a growing method but a method being phased out step by step. Mastercard stopped issuing new Maestro cards in Europe starting in July 2023, and renewals and reissues are being replaced with Debit Mastercard. In Lithuania, where bank links and debit card payments are central, Maestro's share can only keep declining. The adoption decision therefore comes down to a defensive question: whether to leave payment failures unaddressed for customers still using an existing Maestro card.

This makes sense only for merchants that already accept cards broadly and want to also cover customers who still hold a residual Maestro card. If you are designing a payment stack from scratch, it is reasonable to prioritize general card acceptance such as Debit Mastercard and bank-link methods, and place Maestro lower in priority.

When an existing Maestro cardholder pays online, the amount is deducted from the debit account through the Mastercard network, and European online transactions apply the PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication (SCA, 3DS2) process. The authorized euro (EUR) funds are received by Hecto Financial, converted, and then settled to the Korean merchant in whichever currency — USD, KRW, or JPY — was set under the contract.

Whether Maestro can be included in your card acceptance setup through Hecto Financial, and whether including it is worthwhile, depends on your merchant's customer composition. Since new issuance has been halted, this should be reviewed during consultation as a complementary item within your existing card stack rather than as a standalone method to adopt.

• Merchant registration country

  Confirm whether contracting is possible for merchants registered in Korea

• Sales channels

  Integration method and priority vary depending on your online sales channel mix — owned storefront, marketplaces, mobile apps, etc.

• Product categories

  Check in advance whether your products fall under restricted categories according to the Maestro operator's merchant policy

• EU regulatory compliance

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

As with other cards, Maestro transaction funds in euros (EUR) are received by Hecto Financial, converted, and settled domestically in whichever currency — USD, KRW, or JPY — was set under the contract. Refunds are processed as a reversal of the original transaction, and since cards are being replaced due to the discontinuation of new issuance, it is safer to allow ample time for processing refund requests — including the EU's 14-day right of withdrawal — so that cancellations complete before the original card expires.

• Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas)Official information from the integrated supervisory authority responsible for operating Lithuania's payment systems and licensing and supervising electronic money institutions (EMIs). Where the content of this page differs from actual regulations, the official sources take precedence.