Kia vs Mastercard: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Kia and Mastercard side by side

1. 1944Kia

   Founding of Kyungsung Precision Industry

   Kim Chul-ho establishes a modest workshop in Seoul dedicated to the manufacturing of steel tubes and bicycle parts, laying the humble groundwork for what would eventually become a global automotive leader and a vital contributor to South Korea's post-war indus…

2. 1966Mastercard

   Interbank Card Association Takes Shape

   A group of U.S. Banks formed the Interbank Card Association to make card acceptance work across institutions rather than inside isolated bank programs.

3. 1968Mastercard

   Master Charge Brand Adopted

   The association adopted the Master Charge name and interlocking-circle design to give member banks a stronger shared identity. A common brand made the network easier for merchants and consumers to recognize as acceptance expanded beyond local bank programs.

4. 1974Kia

   Launch of the Brisa, Kia's First Passenger Car

   Kia launched the Brisa, its first passenger car, built at the Sohari plant that opened in 1973. Kia had built motorcycles and light trucks before this, and the Brisa made it a carmaker.

5. 1979Mastercard

   Master Charge Becomes MasterCard

   The network changed its name from Master Charge to MasterCard as it became more international. The rebrand simplified recognition and helped the company present itself as a global acceptance network rather than a domestic bank-card association.

6. 1986Kia

   Launch of the Pride and Global Export Expansion

   Through a partnership with Ford and Mazda, Kia returned to passenger cars with the Pride. Abroad it was sold as the Ford Festiva, and it gave Kia its first large export volumes.

7. 1998Kia

   Hyundai Motor Acquires Kia

   After Kia collapsed in the 1997 Asian financial crisis and went into court receivership, Hyundai Motor won the 1998 auction for it, beating Ford among other bidders. Kia stayed a separate brand within the new Hyundai Motor Group.

8. 2002Mastercard

   Europay Merger and Corporate Conversion

   MasterCard merged with Europay International and converted from a membership association into a private share corporation. That structure prepared the company for public-market ownership and a more independent investment agenda.

9. 2006Kia

   Recruitment of Peter Schreyer

   The enterprise makes the radical decision to hire former Audi design chief Peter Schreyer as its head of design, initiating a profound aesthetic revolution that introduces the well-known tiger-nose grille and elevates the brand from a budget alternative to a p…

10. 2006Mastercard

    Initial Public Offering on the NYSE

    MasterCard priced its initial public offering at $39 per share and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MA.

11. 2011Kia

    Launch of the Optima and the Design Renaissance

    The Schreyer-designed Optima (K5) sedan brought Kia's new design language to a wide audience and helped it charge more and reach new buyers.

12. 2017Mastercard

    Vocalink Expands Real-Time Payments

    Mastercard completed its Vocalink acquisition after announcing a deal for 92.4 percent of the U.K. Payments infrastructure company for about $920 million.

13. 2020Kia

    Announcement of the 'Plan S' Strategy

    Kia announced Plan S, its mid- to long-term strategy to move from a combustion-focused carmaker toward EVs, purpose-built vehicles and mobility services. In January 2021 it renamed itself Kia Corporation.

14. 2020Mastercard

    Finicity Strengthens Open Banking

    Mastercard completed the acquisition of Finicity, a North American financial data and open banking platform. The deal added consumer-permissioned data connectivity for lending, account verification, personal finance, and account-based payment use cases.

15. 2021Kia

    Launch of the EV6 and the E-GMP Platform

    The company introduces the award-winning EV6, the first dedicated electric vehicle built on the modular E-GMP platform, showcasing ultra-fast 800-volt charging capabilities and groundbreaking design, instantly establishing the enterprise as a serious technolog…

16. 2021Mastercard

    Michael Miebach Becomes CEO

    Michael Miebach became chief executive officer on January 1, 2021 after serving as chief product officer and president.

17. 2021Mastercard

    Nets Account-to-Account Business Closes

    Mastercard completed the acquisition of the majority of Nets' Corporate Services business, adding clearing and settlement instant payment infrastructure, bill payment, and e-invoicing capabilities.

18. 2023Kia

    EV9 Launch

    Kia launched the EV9, a three-row electric SUV on the E-GMP platform, which went on to win the 2024 World Car of the Year award.

19. 2024Mastercard

    Recorded Future Adds Threat Intelligence

    Mastercard completed the acquisition of Recorded Future, adding AI-enabled threat intelligence to its cybersecurity, identity, and real-time fraud scoring services.

20. 2025Kia

    FY2025 Revenue Reaches KRW 114.141 Trillion

    Kia sold a record 3,135,873 vehicles and reported FY2025 revenue of ~$81 billion (KRW 114.1 trillion) (+6.2%). Operating profit fell 28.3% to ~$6.45 billion (KRW 9.08 trillion) as US tariffs cost more than $2.13 billion (KRW 3 trillion).

21. 2025Mastercard

    $32.8B FY2025 Net Revenue

    Mastercard reported $32.791 billion in FY2025 net revenue and $14.968 billion in net income.

22. 2026Kia

    2030 Targets Set at CEO Investor Day

    At its April 2026 CEO Investor Day, Kia set 2030 targets of ~$121 billion (KRW 170 trillion) in revenue, a 10% operating margin and 4.13 million sales. Q2 2026 revenue was a record ~$23.5 billion (KRW 33.04 trillion).

23. 2026Mastercard

    BVNK Adds Stablecoin Infrastructure

    Mastercard closed its acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK on August 3, 2026, for up to $1.8 billion including contingent payments. The deal extends the company's network to on-chain payments alongside cards and bank transfers.

Acquisitions

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