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A SmartLink to Efficiency

M asterCard International and SPS International Ltd. have introduced MasterCard SmartLink, a new software product that integrates procurement information from MasterCard Corporate Purchasing Cards with leading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, including SAP R/3. The integration of the MasterCard payment and data delivery mechanism into a corporation's ERP system streamlines the monitoring, management and administration of direct and indirect corporate expenses.

To ease the tedious data-entry tasks, SmartLink routes data on the purchasing activities of cardholders directly to corporate accounting systems via the Internet. SmartLink transmits all the data at the point-of- purchase, speeding the availability of information and eliminating potential for account abuse, human error and fraud.

During a purchase, MasterCard stores the transaction data from the vendor at its central depository in St. Louis and then automatically delivers that data directly to SmartLink. The data is, in turn, sent to the general ledger and other applications, eliminating the manual laborious tasks that require staff personnel to enter transaction data after transaction data from the monthly statements.

Purchasing cards differ from the average consumer credit cards in that SmartLink will capture and disseminate details about each transaction, such as the type and quantity of goods acquired, sales tax information and other pertinent information that companies require for bookkeeping, buying patterns and tracking employee spending. With this system, ERP system administrators may generate transaction data specific to any corporate purchasing card cardholder at any point of transaction worldwide without having to wait until month's end to receive the critical data.

To obtain more information about MasterCard SmartLink, contact Philip Philliou, vice president, eCommerce and emerging technologies, MasterCard International, at (914) 249-6841, e-mail him at Philip_philliou@mastercard.com or visit SPS International at www.p-cardsolutions.com.