The Payments Blog

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

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

Let’s be honest: when most people in banking and fintech hear the term "ISO 20022," they don’t exactly jump for joy. It usually sounds like another expensive compliance headache, a mandatory box to tick, or a technical migration that’s going to keep the IT team up until 3:00 AM for six months straight. But here at RivaTech Consulting, we see things a bit differently. The shift to ISO 20022 isn't just about satisfying a regulator or keeping up with the SWIFT migration timeline

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the payment landscape lately, you’ll know that the old "just get me the lowest rate" pitch is officially dead. As we move deeper into 2024 and look toward 2026, the game has shifted. It’s no longer just about having the broadest coverage; it’s about who can provide the most value outside of the actual transaction. Dwayne Gefferie recently broke down the 'Payments Strategy 2026', and the insights are a wake-up call for anyone in the merchant ac

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

Remember the last time you caught an Uber? You hopped out, gave a quick wave, and walked off. No wallet. No tap. No PIN. The payment just... happened. That's invisible payments in action. And in 2026, this isn't some futuristic concept anymore: it's rapidly becoming the standard that customers expect across every industry. For fintechs and businesses running point-of-sale systems, this shift is massive. The traditional checkout: that clunky, multi-step process we've all grown

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

Choosing the right payments platform can make or break your fintech venture. In 2025, two giants dominate the conversation: Stripe and...

Google just dropped something massive in the payments world. Their new Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), announced in September 2025, is...

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

The payments industry is witnessing a seismic shift, and it's happening faster than most people realise. Both Visa and Mastercard have...

The payments industry is buzzing with excitement about something that sounds like science fiction but is happening right now. Agentic AI ...

What Are Invisible Payments? Imagine you’ve just finished your ride with Uber. You hop out of the car, thank the driver, and walk...

The payment processing industry has transformed how consumers and businesses transact, offering increased flexibility and efficiency. At...