Pull out your wallet and you’ll see that the account number on your card starts with a “5”. The first six digits of your account number, otherwise known as the Bank Identification Number (BIN), determine how transactions are routed and identify your issuing bank. Rather than a “5”, MasterCard has started assigning certain issuing institutions a BIN Range starting with “2”.  

Mastercard BIN Range is not to be confused with the major industry identifier (MII), first digit of the BIN, which is used to identify the issuer’s industry—airline, travel, finance, etc.