December 4th, Grace Stream | Mastercard reached a settlement agreement with a group of consumers in the United Kingdom to resolve a local collective lawsuit related to fees. This is the first approved collective lawsuit in the United Kingdom since 2021. The parties did not mention the settlement fee, but Reuters cited sources as saying that Mastercard agreed to pay 0.2 billion British pounds to end the litigation. Walter Merricks, on behalf of 46 million adult consumers in the United Kingdom, filed a lawsuit five years ago, alleging that Mastercard's fees were unreasonable, leading consumers to pay additional substantial fees, demanding the return of overcharged fees. In October this year, the UK Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) ruled that Mastercard overcharged British consumers 1 billion British pounds, Mastercard appealed to the UK Supreme Court, and the case is scheduled for trial. Mastercard said on Tuesday that a fundamental settlement agreement has been reached with Merricks, and the agreement will only take effect after CAT approval.