Mastercard Incorporated MA, in a strategic move to empower businesses with data-driven insights, has teamed up with SoftBank Corp. to introduce Test & Learn, a pioneering cloud-based predictive analytics platform, to the Japanese market. This collaboration aims to revolutionize the way companies in Japan approach decision-making by offering them advanced tools to experiment, analyze and optimize their business measures at scale.

Harnessing the Power of Analytics

In today's era, where data reigns supreme, the ability to leverage analytics effectively is paramount for business success. By integrating Mastercard’s Test & Learn platform with SoftBank’s expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital marketing solutions, this partnership promises to provide Japanese companies with a robust data and analytics platform. This platform will empower businesses to make well-informed, scalable decisions by measuring the performance of various initiatives and swiftly adapting strategies based on real-time insights.

Empowering Decision-Makers

Donald Ong, senior vice president of Asia Pacific at Mastercard, emphasized the significance of data-driven decision-making, stating, "Knowledge is power – especially when it comes to understanding what works and what doesn’t for your business." The Test & Learn partnership with SoftBank aims to equip companies across all industries with transparent insights into their performance, enabling them to drive remarkable success through informed decision-making backed by data-driven analytics.

Accelerating Digitalization

Daisuke Fujihira, vice president and head of the Digital Marketing Division at SoftBank Corp., expressed confidence in the partnership's ability to enhance value for customers and accelerate digitalization in Japan. With SoftBank’s commitment to expanding its AI and data-driven technology services alongside Mastercard's diverse product offerings, the collaboration is poised to contribute significantly to the evolution of IT services in Japan, catering to the increasing demand for data utilization and digitization among businesses.

Price Performance and Zacks Rank

Shares of Mastercard have gained 11.8% year to date compared with the industry’s 8.9% growth. MA currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks from the same space are Envestnet ENV, Fidelity National Information Services FIS and International Money Express IMXI, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Envestnet delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 7.72%. The stock has gained 12.1% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ENV’s 2024 and 2025 earnings suggests growth of 20.8% and 18.1%, respectively, from a year ago.

Fidelity National beat earnings estimates in two of the last four quarters while missing in the other two. The stock has gained 16% year to date.  The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FIS’ 2024 and 2025 earnings indicates a rise of 37.4% and 12.5%, respectively, from the prior-year levels.

International Money Express beat estimates in two of the last four quarters while missing in the other two. The stock has lost 7% year to date.  The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IMXI’s 2024 earnings implies a 13.9% increase from the year-ago actuals.