Modern payment platforms like Adyen and Stripe are praised for their innovation and customer base. However, some merchants face challenges like support issues, outages, and high costs. True optimization may require multiple gateways, fraud tools, and local payment methods. Payment orchestration platforms (POPs) like Apexx and Spreedly offer comprehensive solutions, potentially surpassing single providers. This article explores whether POPs are the key to achieving closer to 100% payment efficiency for merchants.

The aviation industry is witnessing a robust recovery, but revenue leakages from merchant card fees, fraud, and FX costs are significant challenges. Bankhawk offers solutions through forensic audits, benchmarking, and optimization protocols, helping airlines navigate financial turbulence and ensure sustainable profitability amid rising air traffic numbers.

Congress passed a new rule that could significantly impact airlines' cash flow and financial stability. The Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act mandates airlines refund customers for domestic flight delays longer than three hours and international delays longer than six or offer customers five-year credit.

A private-label credit card is a store-branded credit card for a specific retailer. It is a form of revolving credit plan managed by a bank or finance company for either retail departments or specialty stores. Private label credit cards do not carry a credit card network logo, such as Visa or Mastercard, and are usually not accepted by other merchants.

Some consider the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Financial Settlement Systems (IFSS) to be the backbone of the global air transport industry, facilitating the movement of funds across the travel value chain. In a blog post earlier this month, the IATA contends, “Airlines to take back control of payment,” which begs the question, do they know how?

There has been a dramatic shift in the past few days in the expectation of where interest rates are headed. This has taken many of us by surprise. What do the experts have to say?

Mastercard and Visa reached a $30 billion settlement last week with merchants over a long-standing credit card payment swipe fee case. If approved, the antitrust settlement will be one of the largest in U.S. history.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently issued a new ruling limiting the fees credit card issuers can charge consumers. The announcement, which has faced numerous legal challenges, is expected to go into effect on May 14, 2024. This is welcome news for consumers who stand to save up to $3.5bn, but what about businesses?

Companies face a double-edged sword when it comes to card payment fraud, reducing false positives and preventing actual fraud. However, this does not mean that merchants are helpless in the face of bank declines. Some strategies can help reduce their impact and frequency, as well as improve the customer experience.

Legacy arrangements and systems have helped the banking and payments industry generate billions in extra profit from the Airline industry. Higher interest rates and increased card payments complexity is costing the Airline industry billions in lost profits. This challenge can be addressed by Finance teams deploying industry experts to help re-optimise banking and payments, post-pandemic, without making major changes.

I listened to a podcast recently with Patrick McKenzie. Patrick is a serial software entrepreneur and business all-rounder who worked at Stripe and still advises them on product and company strategy. It’s fair to say he’s picked up a thing or two about payments along the way.

The ECB recently published its annual card fraud report for 2021 which shows CNP fraud at its lowest levels since records began and a 12% reduction on the previous year.

Back in 2010, when the world was still reeling from a global recession, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was enacted in the US, a law which affected almost every part of the nation’s financial services industry.

AMEX released its results for Q2 in July which show that its interest income has grown nearly 80% in just four years, since around the time Visa and Mastercard fees were capped in the EU. This means that merchants are enabling ever greater profits for the company as it continues to pivot from charge cards, where cardholders are required to pay the balance in full each month, to a provider of credit.

Apple Card takes on Revolut, Starling Bank and Monzo

VISA and MasterCard interchange claims. Hundreds of merchants from across Europe have, and continue to, file claims against the card schemes after early adopters such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco paved the away. Mastercard recently stated that it has already resolved £2bn of EU claims through judgment or settlement. The claims allege that multi-lateral interchange fees (“MIFs”) restrict competition in the acquiring market and therefore raise prices for both merchants and consumers.

It’s business as usual for American Express Company according to its 10-k recently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington.

The card payments ecosystem will process $ 30 trillion in payments next year. The card payments industry is growing rapidly, fuelled by the shift to online and mobile payments. It is changing the way business is done and the way people are spending their money.

In my last post I discussed the challenges that merchants can face when accessing detail related to their customers’ card transactionsto enable them to validate merchant service charges. It is only when merchants gain access to transaction level detail via (1) reports sent over by their acquirer or (2) through their provider’s online portal, that the real challenge in validating merchant service charges begins.