In the fourth quarter, MasterCard signed an agreement with pan-African bank Ecobank Group and also extended its agreement with U.K.-based Tesco Bank. MasterCard also renewed its agreement with Bank of Montreal.  MasterCard joined its larger rival, Visa, in urging U.S. merchants and banks to hasten the adoption of a more secure technology for credit and debit cards after security breaches at several retailers.  "What we would now like to see is that all players within the payments ecosystem come together with a sense of urgency to ensure that the highest payment security standards are put into place," MasterCard Chief Executive Ajay Banga said.  (Read more: Creepy or helpful? Shoppers less wary of retail spying)  MasterCard's net income rose 3 percent to $623 million, or 52 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, from a year earlier.  Adjusted earnings were 57 cents per share, below the average analyst estimate of 60 cents.  Net revenue rose 12 percent to $2.13 billion. Analysts on average had expected $2.14 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.  (Read more: Amazon sinks 9% on possible loss hint)  MasterCard's worldwide purchase volume increased 11 percent to $805 billion from a year earlier, while annual growth in its U.S. purchase volumes rose 7.4 percent to $275 billion.  The company announced a 10-for-1 stock split and raised its quarterly dividend by 83 percent last month.  Shares of MasterCard have risen 66 percent in the 12 months ended December, outperforming the broader S&P 500 Index which rose 30 percent in the year.  Visa reported a better-than-expected rise in quarterly profit on Thursday as more people used cards instead of cash to make payments.  Visa shares were down 1.7 percent at $217.15. (Click here for the latest quote.)
MasterCard posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit and said its net revenue for the year would come in at the low end of its forecast range.