MasterCard has announced it is to let mobile and web developers integrate its payment technology directly into apps.

The move appears to mirror the model announced by PayPal, which serves up its own payment software for programmers.

However, those behind the venture have suggested MasterCard will be willing to let thirdparties take even more of a hands-on approach, with the company looking to make its payments system as flexible as possible.

Open strategy

The New York Times claims MasterCard's chief innovation officer, Josh Peirez, is keen to see what thirdparties can come up with. The idea is that those outside MasterCard will be able to utilise the technology in ways the company hasn't considered before.

"A big part of the strategy is to be able to harness the innovation of others in the developer community to really push our business forward," Peirez told the paper.

Servicing developers

It's no surprise MasterCard is looking to open up, with the firm having previously built its own payment apps that relied on merchant agreements and repeated data entry - a set-up deemed unappealing by many.

MasterCard's new approach appears more open, with MasterCard Labs - which is behind the project - stating 20 of its services are available for thirdparties to use in their applications.

Following PayPal

The news follows a renewed bid by PayPal to make its PayPal X software the default choice for developers, with its in-app purchase system now available for Android as well as iPhone.

It would appear PayPal still has some time before MasterCard becomes a real competitor, however, with Peirez merely stating that the company aims to open up its technology by the end of the year.

[source: The New York Times]