Card Scheme

Card schemes are of two broad types:

• Four-party (open) schemes: the scheme does not issue cards itself; banks act as issuers and acquirers under the scheme's brand and rules. Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay are examples.
• Three-party (closed) schemes: the scheme itself issues cards and acquires merchants, such as American Express in many markets.

The scheme sets technical standards, operating rules, dispute and chargeback procedures, interchange and scheme fees, and brand requirements. It operates the network that routes authorisation messages and performs clearing between members, while settlement typically flows through settlement banks.

Many countries have built domestic card schemes to reduce cost and keep domestic transaction processing within the country, such as RuPay in India. In Nepal, NCHL's National Card Switch under the National Payment Switch includes a domestic card scheme (NEPALPAY Card), and the domestic arms of international schemes are licensed by NRB as payment system operators.

कार्ड स्किम दुई प्रकारका हुन्छन्: चार-पक्षीय (खुला) जसमा स्किम आफैं कार्ड जारी गर्दैन, बैंकहरू जारीकर्ता र प्राप्तकर्ता हुन्छन् (भिसा, मास्टरकार्ड, युनियनपे); र तीन-पक्षीय (बन्द) जसमा स्किम आफैं कार्ड जारी र व्यापारी व्यवस्थापन गर्छ।

स्किमले प्राविधिक मापदण्ड, सञ्चालन नियम, विवाद तथा चार्जब्याक प्रक्रिया, इन्टरचेन्ज र स्किम शुल्क तोक्छ र स्वीकृति सन्देश रुटिङ तथा क्लियरिङ गर्छ। लागत घटाउन धेरै देशले स्वदेशी स्किम बनाएका छन्, जस्तै भारतको RuPay। नेपालमा राष्ट्रिय भुक्तानी स्विचअन्तर्गत NEPALPAY Card स्वदेशी स्किम हो र अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय स्किमका स्वदेशी संस्था PSO का रूपमा इजाजतप्राप्त छन्।