*CORP Mastercard CQ

*CORP Mastercard CQ

Mastercard CQM-ID 1.0 is a corporate quality management specification developed by Mastercard to establish standardized performance and quality requirements for smart card manufacturing. In order to ensure interoperability and reliability of smart card hardware, Mastercard initiated a mandatory Card Quality Management (CQM) program, developed in cooperation with numerous industrial partners. It is used by many manufacturers of credit cards, component suppliers, and personalizers around the world. Presto's precision physical testing instruments support card manufacturers in conducting CQM-compliant evaluations for dimensional accuracy, durability, and structural integrity under controlled laboratory conditions.

Significance

Financial card producers must prove to Mastercard that for each issued banking card they have successfully completed a series of tests, including those related to chip card quality, with Mastercard issuing CQM requirements to ensure product quality during both manufacturing and personalization phases. The nearly 100 card tests in the Mastercard documents refer to ISO/IEC, ANSI, and EMVCo standards for testing for physical, electrical, and functional performance parameters throughout the card production lifecycle.

Scope

The CQM program covers different types of Mastercard suppliers, including card vendors, component suppliers of card vendors, and personalization bureaus. Products, including finished cards or card components, receive a quality label if they comply with CQM requirements, and this quality label forms part of the Mastercard vendor requirements in order to be permitted to sell cards to Mastercard issuers. The specification applies to manufacturers, component suppliers, and certification bodies requiring standardized quality verification procedures for smart card production, supplier approval, and regulatory compliance across the global payment card industry.