The European Union fined Mastercard Inc. €570.6 million ($648.2 million) over charges it artificially raised the costs of card payments inside the bloc, continuing a European crackdown on U.S. credit-card companies over fees.
The European Commission, the bloc’s top antitrust regulator, said Tuesday that Mastercard MA, -0.96% had historically prevented retailers from shopping around for lower bank fees available outside of their home country. It said this led to higher prices for both retailers and consumers, and limited cross-border competition.