The Payments Pulse

Spreedly warns the FIFA World Cup, running June 11 to July 19, is expected to drive higher transaction volumes and a spike in ticketing and payment fraud, per Digital Transactions. The company advises merchants and payment platforms to prepare for increased fraud exposure during the tournament window.

Colorado's governor vetoed a bill that would have restricted interchange fees on card transactions, according to Payments Dive. The legislation had passed with bipartisan support from the governor's own party. Interchange fees are a core cost for merchants accepting card payments. The veto keeps current fee structures in place for Colorado merchants.

Colorado's SB 26-134, which would have removed sales tax from interchange-fee calculations, was vetoed by Gov. Jared Polis. A similar law passed in Illinois. Had it taken effect, merchants would have paid interchange only on pre-tax transaction amounts, reducing their processing costs. Source: Digital Transactions.

NMI acquired Fee Navigator, a merchant pricing analysis tool used by acquirers. Terms were not disclosed. The deal may affect how merchants are priced by NMI-connected processors. Source: Digital Transactions.

Illinois's Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, which would bar interchange fees on the tax and tip portions of transactions, has been pushed back to July 1, 2027, one year later than originally scheduled, per Digital Transactions. The delay came via a last-minute budget move. Illinois merchants should revise compliance planning to reflect the new date.

BTR, a truck-rental company, offset nearly $400,000 in annualized card acceptance costs by adopting BlueSnap's credit card surcharging program, per Digital Transactions. Surcharging passes processing fees to cardholders instead of the merchant. Merchants evaluating cost-reduction options may consider similar programs, though state-level surcharging rules vary.

Finextra covers a Worldpay survey of 8,000 consumers across 8 global markets on AI agent-driven purchasing. The piece, citing the survey, argues that agentic commerce, where software buys on behalf of a human, could expose gaps in merchant payment infrastructure. Merchants running standard checkout, fraud, and authentication flows may need to account for non-human transaction patterns.

Fiserv is integrating with Experian Link, a debit card ownership verification service. The tool helps merchants confirm that a card belongs to the account holder, reducing fraud and return rates at checkout. Source: Digital Transactions.

The OCC filed a brief asking a federal judge to block an Illinois law regulating interchange fees, arguing federal rules preempt it. Per Payments Dive, the agency has already issued a preemption ruling on the law. Interchange fees are a direct cost for US merchants. The outcome could influence how other states pursue similar card fee legislation.

Square, the POS division of Block Inc., added Southern California restaurant chain The Hat to its merchant base, per Digital Transactions. A separate survey from the same source found 33% of convenience store and fuel retailers manage four or more POS terminals, signaling multi-terminal complexity in those segments.

Mastercard launched Merchant Trust Services, a tool for banks and payment providers to detect fake online storefronts and block related scams. Reported by Finextra. Merchants benefit indirectly: acquirers using this service may flag fraudulent competitors and reduce chargeback exposure across the ecosystem.

Mastercard launched Merchant Trust Services, a fraud-prevention product for merchants, per Digital Transactions. The article also covers Darwinium's new tools against remote access scams, where attackers take device control to push unauthorized transactions. Fraud in both categories contributes to chargeback losses that US merchants bear.

A federal judge fined payments processor Cliq $6.5 million for violating a 2015 FTC settlement, per Payments Dive. The court declined to appoint a receiver. Merchants using smaller or lesser-known processors should verify compliance history before signing contracts.

Fiserv, a major payment processor and bank technology provider, presented a recovery plan to investors Thursday, per Payments Dive. The company sought to restore confidence in its performance outlook. Merchants using Fiserv-connected services, including Clover POS, may want to monitor whether operational or pricing changes follow.

Block Inc.'s Square launched Square for Drive-Thru, built in partnership with The Howard Company and Nanonation. The system ties together order capture, kitchen operations, and customer handoff in one platform. Targets quick-service and drive-thru operators. Additional payment news items appear in the same brief. Source: Digital Transactions.

The 7th Circuit Court remanded the Illinois interchange fee ban case back to district court, ruling that a federal attempt to preempt the state law needs further review. The outcome could affect how card interchange fees are calculated on Illinois transactions. Source: Payments Dive.

Square reported 13% payment volume growth and now counts 140 ISO partners, per Digital Transactions. Toast locations grew 22%. Both metrics signal continued competition among POS providers, which affects merchant options and pricing in the sector.

Global Payments is expanding its Genius point-of-sale solution through Worldpay's sales channels and financial institution customers, per Payments Dive. Merchants using Worldpay or evaluating POS upgrades may see Genius as a new option through existing relationships.

Colorado passed a bill requiring interchange fees to be calculated without including sales tax in the transaction amount. The bill awaits Gov. Polis's signature. If enacted, Colorado merchants would pay lower interchange costs on taxable sales. Source: Digital Transactions.

PayPal CEO Enrique Lores, two months into the role, is focused on following through on prior technology investments, per Digital Transactions. No specific fee changes or product updates were announced. The company acknowledged its market position requires significant action. Merchants using PayPal should monitor for platform or pricing changes as leadership priorities take shape.

Finextra reports Bankart CEO Samo Kumar, speaking at Diebold Nixdorf's Intersect Cannes event, said faster real-time and mobile payments have increased fraud exposure for both merchants and consumers. Kumar noted the industry is moving toward cross-institution collaboration rather than competition on fraud protection. Merchants carry fraud risk on their side of POS transactions, not only consumers.

Global Payments reacquired Worldpay and is now focused on returns from its Genius POS platform, which absorbed roughly $1 billion in investment. Merchants using Global Payments or Worldpay processing may see product and support resources shift toward Genius. Source: Digital Transactions.

Fiserv Q1 earnings showed Clover's gross payment volume grew 12% year-over-year, per Digital Transactions. Merchants evaluating POS systems may find this growth signal relevant when assessing Clover's market position and investment trajectory.

The 2024 Visa and Mastercard antitrust settlement caps swipe fees and gives merchants the right to surcharge. The 2026 ripple is that interchange-plus contracts now exclude the cap from the markup line, which means real comparisons need to read the contract, not the rate sheet.

The 2.6 percent on the home page is not what you pay. Effective rate (total fees divided by total volume) is the only number that matters when you compare processors. Most merchants on flat-rate plans are 0.30 to 0.50 percent above their tier benchmark.