Mastercard submits new audit to India after ban over data handling

MUMBAI: Mastercard has submitted a new audit report to the Reserve Bank of India, it told Reuters, as it seeks to overturn a ban on card issuance linked to concerns over the US giant's handling of data processed abroad.

The RBI on July 14 sent panic-waves through Indian banking partners by announcing a ban, effective from July 22, to prevent the U.S. giant from issuing new cards. It cited non-compliance with 2018 rules that required it to store payments data only in India. read more The RBI imposed the ban after deciding a "system audit report" submitted by Mastercard's auditor Deloitte in April was unsatisfactory, three sources familiar with its decision-making said, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. Two of the sources said the RBI was reviewing the new report.

In a statement to Reuters, Mastercard said Deloitte performed a "supplemental audit" and a new report was submitted on July 20 to the RBI, six days after the ban was announced.

"We look forward to continuing our conversations with the RBI and reinforcing how seriously we take our obligations. We are hopeful that this latest filing provides the assurances required to address their concerns," it said. Deloitte declined to comment, citing confidentiality obligations. The RBI did not respond to a request for comment.

The sources said the RBI was concerned Deloitte's audit did not clearly state how long Mastercard took to purge Indians' card data that is processed abroad before being stored locally.