There is a fact to confirm first. Mastercard halted new issuance of Maestro in Europe starting in July 2023, and existing cards are being replaced with Debit Mastercard as they expire. In Poland too, the center of online payments has shifted to BLIK, and card issuance has also been reorganized around Visa and Mastercard debit, so there is no longer a reason for Maestro to be a pillar of a payment strategy. It only remains meaningful as a way to serve the residual demand from existing Maestro cards still in circulation.

For entry into the Polish market, then, it is more realistic to check whether existing Maestro cards are handled within your Visa/Mastercard acceptance setup, rather than considering standalone Maestro adoption. For a payment lineup built for long-term operation, place BLIK and local bank transfers first and treat Maestro as a complement during this transition period.

When an existing Maestro cardholder pays online, the payment is approved after entering card details and completing 3-D Secure-based Strong Customer Authentication (SCA, mandatory under PSD2). The approved funds are received by Hecto Financial in Polish zloty (PLN), converted, and then settled to the Korean merchant. Note, however, that the number of cards in circulation is declining since issuance was halted, so plan your integration priority on the premise that this channel's share of transactions will naturally decrease over time.

Integrating through Hecto Financial lets a Korea-registered corporation consider adopting Maestro payments without a separate local contract in Poland. Actual support availability and terms (settlement cycle, fees, currency options) vary by the merchant's industry and transaction volume, so confirmation with Hecto Financial's sales team is required before signing a contract.

• Country of business registration

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

• Sales channel

  The integration approach and priority differ depending on your mix of online sales channels, such as your own store, open marketplaces, or a mobile app

• Product categories handled

  Advance confirmation is needed on whether your products fall under categories restricted by Maestro's merchant policy

• EU regulatory compliance

  Confirmation is needed on compliance with EU payment regulations such as PSD2 and SEPA (see official sources below)

As with other card payments, funds from Maestro transactions are generated in the local currency, Polish zloty (PLN); Hecto Financial receives and converts them, then settles the Korean merchant in whichever of USD, KRW, or JPY was chosen under contract. Refunds for card payments are processed by canceling the original transaction, and Polish consumers also have a 14-day withdrawal right after an online purchase under EU rules, so the same refund-handling setup must be in place even though this is a transitional method.

• National Bank of Poland (Narodowy Bank Polski) and Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF)Official information on Poland's payment systems and supervisory regulations. If this page's content differs from actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.