Built by Operators.
Trusted by Institutions.
Construido por Operadores.
De Confianza Institucional.
Wolf was founded with a clear conviction: the payments industry deserves advisory partners who have lived its complexities from the inside — not observed them from a distance.
Wolf fue fundada con una convicción clara: la industria de pagos merece socios consultores que hayan vivido sus complejidades desde adentro — no que las observen desde lejos.
Line-by-line audit of your Mastercard MCBS billing.
Most issuers have never mapped their MCBS file against their contracted rate card. That gap hides real dollars — US$1M+ in a single engagement for one Central American bank. We find it, quantify it, and sit beside you when you claim it back.
Who this is for
Card issuers that are Mastercard principal members — banks, fintechs, and program managers — with portfolios from 50,000 cards and up. Typically: the CFO or Head of Finance has suspicion that "we're paying too much" but no internal MCBS expertise to prove it. Or: a new CRO or VP Operations has inherited a program that has not been audited line-by-line in 3+ years. Or: the program is scaling through a portfolio migration, processor change, or M&A integration, and now is the moment to lock in the right rate card baseline.
What we deliver
- Comprehensive billing audit — every event code, service code, and assessment line mapped against contracted rate card and Mastercard QMR rules in force at time of event.
- Quantified variance report — each finding documented with source line, applicable rule, and dollar exposure.
- Cost optimization roadmap — recovery targets, probability-weighted.
- Formal claim file — ready to submit to the Mastercard regional account team and/or processor.
- Negotiation support — we sit beside you during working sessions with the network, processor, or sponsor. We do not negotiate on your behalf without explicit written authority.
- Ongoing monitoring framework — controls and dashboards so the leakage doesn't return after we leave.
How we do it
Three to four working sessions to scope and run conflicts check. Output: scoping memo, conflicts disclosure, engagement letter.
Secure transfer of 24 months of MCBS files, processor invoices, GL extracts, rate cards. Loaded into a segregated analysis environment.
Every event-code line mapped against contract, published rate, and operational reality. This is the irreplaceable step. Most leakage hides here.
Quantification of every variance: overcharges, miscategorized events, expired tiers, foregone rebates, missing waivers.
Formal recovery file delivered. We sit on your side of the table during negotiations.
Track credits posted, rate-card revisions, operational changes. Closeout package for internal audit.
Recovered from 23 misclassified MCBS line items for a Tier-2 Central American issuer with a 180,000-card portfolio. 14-month engagement. US$340K annualized go-forward savings.
Read the full case study →Frequently asked
What is MCBS?
MCBS is the Mastercard Consolidated Billing System — the monthly invoice structure Mastercard uses to bill principal members for assessments, service fees, rebates, and penalties.
How much leakage is typical?
Recoveries have ranged from US$200K to US$1M+ for issuers with portfolios from 50K to 500K cards. The dollars come from 15–25 small line-item errors, not one big find.
How long does an engagement take?
Typically 12–14 months across six phases. The heaviest analytical work is in months 2–5.
Do you work on contingency?
No. We combine a fixed retainer with a success fee. Contingency-only structures force the consultant to chase volume rather than complex line items. See our How We Engage page.
What data do you need?
24 months of MCBS files, program management agreement, processor agreement, rate-card amendments, and a named internal lead. All movement is extract-and-transfer; we do not accept production credentials or raw PANs.
Want to know if there's leakage in your program?
Request a scoping conversation. 30 minutes, no obligation. We'll tell you whether a line-item review is worth the effort before you commit.
Request an Assessment →