The first thing to establish is that Maestro is a method in wind-down. Mastercard halted new Maestro issuance in Europe starting in July 2023, and a transition to Debit Mastercard is underway upon renewal or reissue. In Norway too, the center of gravity for card payments has shifted to international-brand debit and credit and wallet payments, so demand for Maestro is limited to holders of existing cards that have not yet expired.

So the basis for the adoption decision is not generating new sales but preventing declined authorizations. It makes sense for merchants serving multiple European countries to keep it as a supplementary method to prevent payment failures for customers who still hold a Maestro card, while a merchant focused solely on the Norwegian market should prioritize Debit Mastercard, Visa, and wallet payments instead.

When an existing Maestro cardholder enters their card details, the issuing bank approves the transaction through the Mastercard network, and the result is passed to the merchant via Hecto Financial. Since this is an EEA online card payment, 3DS2 authentication under PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is typically involved. However, because this is a transitional method, the scope of online payment support may vary by issuing bank, so advance confirmation is needed.

Because Maestro is a method in wind-down, when consulting with Hecto Financial it is generally reviewed as a supplementary item within the overall card acceptance contract rather than as a standalone adoption. Whether support is even available, and the fees and settlement terms, vary by merchant, so confirmation before contracting is essential.

• Business registration country

  Confirm whether a contract is possible on the basis of a Korea-registered business

• Sales channels

  The integration method and priority vary depending on your online sales channel mix, such as your own storefront, open marketplaces, or mobile apps

• Product categories handled

  Advance confirmation is needed on whether your business falls under a category restricted by Maestro's operator merchant policy

• EEA/SEPA qualifying conditions

  Norway is a non-eurozone, non-EU country, but through the EEA agreement it falls within the EU payment regulatory framework and is included in the SEPA transfer area. Confirm whether your contract structure fits this framework (see official sources below)

NOK proceeds from Maestro transactions are, just like other methods, received and converted by Hecto Financial, and settled to the Korean merchant in whichever of USD, KRW, or JPY was set in the contract. Because this is a transitional period during which cards are being converted or retired, there may be cases where the original card is no longer valid at the time of a refund, so an alternative refund process should be established, and it should also be factored in that sales to Norwegian consumers may see cancellation requests arising from the EEA's 14-day right of withdrawal.

• Norges Bank (Central Bank of Norway)The official source for operation and oversight of Norway's payment system and payment trend reports.
• Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway (Finanstilsynet)The supervisory authority for payment service and e-money providers. Where this page differs from actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.