A Nilson Report analysis cited by the Merchants Payments Coalition shows US merchants paid $198.25 billion in credit and debit card processing fees in 2025, up from $62.1 billion in 2009. A former payments executive argues that card network interchange rates have barely risen over that period, meaning processor markups and add-on fees account for most of the increase. The piece lists five questions merchants should ask processors in writing before signing a contract.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-10-09
A San Diego pizzeria has filed a proposed class action against Visa, Mastercard, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citibank and Wells Fargo, alleging a long-running conspiracy to fix interchange fees charged to merchants on credit card transactions. The 134-page complaint claims the companies impose rules forcing merchants to accept all cards of a given network regardless of cost and bars steering customers toward cheaper payment options, calling the fees 'monopoly rents.' The suit comes despite a prior class action settlement exceeding $5 billion over similar allegations.
classaction.org
· 2026-10-07
The European Network for Payments (ENP) has been established by major European payment providers, including Bizum, Bancomat, Wero, SIBS-MB WAY, and Vipps MobilePay, to create a unified infrastructure. Covering 70% of Europe's population, ENP aims to connect existing networks for seamless cross-border and in-person transactions, with plans to expand into online payments. The initiative seeks to reduce Europe's dependence on US-based payment giants like Visa and Mastercard.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-02
Apple Pay has become available in India after more than a decade of delay, but only for Visa and Mastercard credit cards issued by Axis Bank. Cards from other major banks like SBI and HDFC, as well as India's RuPay network, aren't yet supported, and the service only works at terminals enabled for it. Apple says millions of merchants including Zomato, Croma and its own stores will accept it at launch.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-30
Apple has begun rolling out Apple Pay in India, roughly twelve years after the service debuted, with Axis Bank serving as its initial banking partner for Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Apple confirmed the launch, and backend changes spotted on its servers indicate the rollout is now live, bringing the total number of supported countries and regions to 101.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-30
Reddit users have reported redeeming Microsoft Rewards and Xbox Mastercard points to pre-order Grand Theft Auto 6 at no extra cost. One user, Financial_Specific24, used points earned from Xbox Mastercard purchases, while another, Automatic_Ad1665, accumulated Microsoft Rewards through routine daily tasks. GTA 6's Standard Edition costs $80 and the Ultimate Edition $100.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-26
Circle has unveiled Arc, a new blockchain network designed for institutional finance, with USDC stablecoin functioning as its core settlement asset. The network is permissioned, meaning access is restricted, and is backed by major financial players including BlackRock, Visa, and Mastercard.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-18
Mastercard has launched a program that issues virtual payment cards specifically to AI agents so they can complete purchases on behalf of consumers. The initiative pushes 'agentic commerce'—where software autonomously browses, selects and buys items—further into the mainstream payments ecosystem.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-17
Mastercard has signed a new deal aimed at letting AI-driven shopping agents complete purchases using customer payment credentials. The move comes as rivals Visa and American Express are also preparing their own systems to support autonomous, AI-powered shopping bots.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-17
Mastercard's newly appointed marketing chief is reworking the company's longtime 'Priceless' branding into a global campaign centered on small businesses. The initiative comes as small firms grapple with rising energy costs tied to Middle East conflict, tariff-driven supply chain disruptions, and increasing labor expenses.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-15
An explainer breaks down what Visa and Mastercard actually do, noting they are card networks rather than banks, card issuers, payment processors, or merchant acquirers. The piece maps out the two-sided market linking cardholders and issuers on one side with merchants and acquirers on the other, with the network connecting both.
tautology.town
· 2026-09-08
Anthropic has launched a developer blueprint that provides pre-built harnesses, patterns and guardrails for creating AI shopping and merchant agents using Claude. The kit includes reference implementations for retail, travel, telecom and ticketing use cases, plus a Claude Code plugin, and deploys across Claude API, Amazon Bedrock, Microsoft Foundry and Google Cloud Vertex AI. Partners such as Accenture, Mastercard and Visa are collaborating to help merchants adopt the framework ahead of the holiday shopping season.
claude.com
· 2026-09-03
GoKawiil