This Tuesday, MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez and the Mayor of Waterloo Florence Reuter visited Mastercard's European headquarters in Waterloo, where they were welcomed by Benjamin Dessy, CEO Benelux. As a nerve centre for the company, the site houses Mastercard's European cyber-resilience centre, which coordinates the fight against cybercrime in close cooperation with authorities and partners across the continent.
Based in Waterloo, a few kilometres from Brussels, Mastercard Europe plays a key role in the European digital ecosystem: nearly 700 staff work there, within an organisation that employs around 9,000 people in Europe and manages essential functions such as product development, legal services, human resources, finance and cybersecurity. The company is an entirely B2B player: it manages the network, sets the rules of the payment game and provides a service and security role for banks, merchants and consumers.
The discussions highlighted several realities. First, Mastercard's significant economic weight in Belgium, with a tax contribution of around half a billion euros a year, making it one of the country's leading contributors. Second, the concentration of highly qualified talent: engineers and experts in cybersecurity and innovation, behind solutions that have become essential, such as contactless payment, now widely used across the Mastercard network.
Georges-Louis Bouchez pointed out that these strategic players face three major challenges: economic difficulty, political stakes and dependency. He stressed the need for companies like Mastercard to be heard and recognised more by public authorities, as they can provide concrete solutions to strengthen the security of our systems and the country's digital resilience. For the MR, the stakes are clear: support these investments, guarantee a stable and competitive framework, and recognise the central role of these technology champions in Belgian prosperity.
Through this visit, the MR reaffirms its stance: defending innovation, skilled employment and cybersecurity, working hand in hand with companies that create value on our territory. No empty rhetoric, but concrete results: jobs, taxes paid in Belgium, and technologies that protect citizens and businesses every day.