Following successful U.S. launches, Mastercard’s True Name feature for transgender and nonbinary users is coming to Europe through the challenger bank bunq.
The True Name feature addresses a significant pain point among the transgender and nonbinary community, which face discrimination if the name they use does not match the name printed on their credit and debit cards. This feature enables customers to display their preferred name on their card. Effective immediately, all eligible existing bunq credit and debit cardholders will be able to request a new card displaying their preferred name.
“At Mastercard, we stand for inclusion, which is why we enable cardholders to use their chosen name — everyone deserves financial products that reflect their true identity,” Mastercard Europe President Mark Barnett said in a news release. “This will ease a major pain point in the transgender and non-binary community and allow people to use their true name securely, simply and with pride. We call on the industry to apply these standards for everyone.”
The True Name feature is now available across the 30 European countries served by bunq including the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. The partnership with Mastercard follows a March 2020 effort in which the challenger bank partnered with Mastercard to expand its
“At bunq, we believe in the power of diversity and all the colors of the rainbow and beyond," the company's CEO, Ali Niknam, said in the release. "With True Name, making a small change can make a big impact: empowering people to be free and to live their life the way they want.”
The True Name feature debuted in the U.S. in 2019 with launches by
