The Payments Blog

If you needed a sign that the global payments landscape has shifted forever, this is it. Mastercard just dropped a cool $1.8 billion to acquire BVNK, a powerhouse in stablecoin infrastructure. This isn’t just another corporate acquisition or a "crypto experiment" to keep the shareholders happy. It is a massive, strategic pivot. Mastercard is effectively signalling that it no longer wants to be just a card network: it wants to be the primary settlement layer for the digital as

Discover the impact of the RBA surcharge ban and the $24 billion tokenization prize. Learn how these RBA surcharge changes affect your business.

It’s officially March 2026, and if you’ve been keeping an eye on the news, you know that the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA) has finally kicked into gear. Signed into law last July, this massive piece of legislation is now live, and it’s arguably one of the most significant shifts in economic policy we’ve seen in decades. Whether you’re a business owner, a fintech founder, or just someone trying to manage your personal budget, the OBBBA is going to land in your wallet on

Remember 2010? It was the era of the "Platinum" plastic card. If you pulled out a co-branded airline card at a dinner party, it said something about you. You were a jet-setter, a savvy accumulator of points, a person who understood the "game". Issuers loved it too. The formula was simple: partner with a big airline or a massive petrol station chain, slap a logo on a piece of plastic, offer 1 point per dollar, and watch the interchange revenue roll in. Fast forward to today, S

If you’ve spent more than five minutes in the payments industry, you know that the Card Issuer is the king of the castle. They hold the keys to the kingdom. When a transaction happens, they are the ones who ultimately say "Yes" or "No." They are the final gatekeepers of the money. But here’s the kicker: despite having all the authority, the issuer is often the most uninformed person in the room. Imagine being a judge in a high-stakes court case, but you’re only allowed to loo

You’ve done the hard part. You’ve spent thousands on marketing, perfected your product, and finally convinced a customer to click that "Buy Now" button. They’ve entered their card details, they’re ready to pay, and then, BAM . "Transaction Declined." The customer is confused. They have the money. They aren’t a fraudster. But your system just slammed the door in their face. This is a "false decline," and if you’re running an e-commerce business, it’s likely a much bigger probl

If you’ve ever stood in a queue in a charming European bistro only to be told they "don't take credit cards," you’ve experienced the fragmented reality of European payments. For decades, Europe has been a patchwork of domestic debit schemes and cash-heavy holdouts, all while Visa and Mastercard: the American giants: quietly ran the plumbing in the background. But something is shifting. The European Payments Initiative (EPI) is no longer just a boardroom PowerPoint presentatio

If you still think of Mastercard as just a "credit card company," you’re looking at a version of the financial world that’s rapidly disappearing in the rearview mirror. Based on the recent deep-dive analysis by Dwayne Gefferie, Mastercard’s 2026 strategy isn't just a slight pivot: it’s a massive, three-dimensional repositioning. They are moving away from the crowded, commoditised domestic markets of the West and doubling down on three specific pillars: International, Digital,

If you work in fintech, the release of Stripe’s annual letter is basically our version of the Super Bowl: except with more charts and fewer halftime shows. This year’s letter, penned by the Collison brothers, didn't just drop a few stats; it essentially outlined the new blueprint for the global economy. At RivaTech, we spend our days helping businesses navigate the messy world of payments and digital transformation. When a single company starts processing 1.3% of the world's

The executive hiring playbook for fintechs is changing. Fast. In 2026, you're seeing fewer full-time C-suite announcements and more boutique consultancies sliding into leadership roles on a fractional basis. It's not just a cost-cutting trend, it's a smarter way to build a payments business in an environment that's moving at warp speed. Let's talk about why fintechs, ISOs, and payment facilitators are choosing fractional leaders over traditional full-time executives, and what

The payments landscape is shifting beneath our feet, and stablecoins are at the centre of it all. While most of us have been watching crypto volatility from the sidelines, a quieter revolution has been brewing in merchant acquiring: where forward-thinking payment companies are starting to settle transactions in stablecoins instead of traditional currencies. It's not just theoretical anymore. Real acquirers are processing real transactions with real merchants, using stablecoin

The payments world is buzzing with talk of regulatory changes coming in 2026, and payment surcharges are squarely in the crosshairs. While we might not see a coordinated "global crackdown," the writing's on the wall: regulators worldwide are tightening their grip on how merchants can pass payment costs to customers. If you're running a fintech, building payment solutions, or advising merchants, now's the time to get ahead of these changes. Let's dive into what's actually happ

The payment tech landscape is about to hit warp speed. As we look toward 2026, the convergence of AI, embedded finance, and real-time infrastructure is creating opportunities that didn't exist just 12 months ago. For startups and fintechs, this isn't just about keeping up: it's about positioning yourself at the centre of a payments revolution that will reshape how transactions happen. Let's dive into the trends that will define 2026 and what they mean for your business strate

We're living through the AI gold rush right now. Every fintech company, payments processor, and digital wallet is racing to slap "AI-powered" on their marketing materials. But here's the uncomfortable question nobody wants to ask: what happens when the music stops? The signs are already there if you know where to look. Companies are quietly scaling back their AI ambitions, and the gap between AI promises and reality is getting harder to ignore. So let's dive into what an AI b

AI in payments is everywhere these days. From fraud detection to automated processing, artificial intelligence promises to make our...

The remittance game is changing fast, and if you're in fintech, you've probably noticed the pressure mounting. With billions of dollars...

The Battlefront: AI and Payment Fraud in 2025 Almost every business that handles payments has a simple fear—being hit by payment fraud....

Digital-First, Always: The New Normal Ask anyone under 30 how they paid for their last coffee or concert ticket, and you’ll rarely hear...

Introduction If you haven’t noticed, artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm. This includes the world of online...

Introduction In order to celebrate St Patrick's Day, we decided it was appropriate to showcase a legacy of innovation from the emerald...