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Regulation

Jun 24, 2026

RBA's next payments war set to engulf Apple, Amex, BNPL and Big Tech

A new Reserve Bank review set to land tomorrow will open a fresh front on the payments battleground before merchants and the industry have recovered from the interchange and surcharge shock.

Merchant Service Fees

Jun 24, 2026

Small business locked out of merchant fee deals as big banks refuse to fund advisors

Merchants must lock in post-surcharging deals from 1 October, but the fee data that would tell them whether they are paying too much does not arrive until April 2027 and even then, will not provide full transparency.

THE LATEST

A2A

Jun 24, 2026

Zombie fraud accelerates PayTo liability upgrade

Merchant Service Fees

Jun 24, 2026

Peaking too early - beware premature terminal offers

Fintech

Jun 24, 2026

Payments win as Hello Clever dominates Finnies

Featured

Jun 24, 2026

The Interchange Bench

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RBA downgrades RITS governance

The Reserve Bank's new RITS assessment drops governance to "partly observed", admits the post-2022 clean-up is running slow, and concedes the system will miss a reliability target it set for itself.

Featured

Jun 23, 2026

QuickBooks taps Employment Hero as Payday Super deadline looms

As the clock ticks down on Payday Super and the closure of the ATO's small business clearing house, QuickBooks has turned to Employment Hero to help automate compliance for thousands of Australian businesses.

Featured

Jun 24, 2026

EFTEX celebrates 25 years after first ATM transaction

From a single ATM transaction to processing almost 200 million payments worth $30 billion a year, EFTEX is celebrating 25 years as one of the quiet achievers of Australia's payments industry.

Featured

Jun 24, 2026

Adyen’s “universal translator” built for new era of commerce

In an increasingly complex world of AI commerce, Adyen is trying to build solutions that enable merchants to transact and communicate fluently across multiple platforms.

NAB launches Nexus hub as cyber threats surge

NAB has unveiled a new around-the-clock operations hub that brings together cyber, fraud, payments and security teams as Australian banks confront increasingly sophisticated AI-powered scams and cyber attacks.

Jun 24, 2026

CBA elevates AI with tech leadership shake-up

Australia’s largest bank has split its technology leadership into two executive roles, placing artificial intelligence, engineering and digital delivery at the centre of its retail banking strategy in which payments play a huge role.

Scams & Fraud

Jun 24, 2026

Banking giant HSBC hit with $35m penalty over systemic scam protection failures

The Federal Court says failures by the Australian arm of London-based banking giant HSBC to protect scam victims were serious and systemic, imposing a $35 million penalty in one of the strongest regulatory actions yet against an Australian bank over scam-related misconduct.

Cards

Jun 17, 2026

Amex leads the way on “service fee” model for payments platforms

Amex Australia is charging “service fees” for payments on its own platform in a model that could be adopted by other providers when its own “no surcharge” rules come into effect on 1 October.

Regulation

Jun 17, 2026

Amex ordered to compensate customer after privacy breach

The Australian Privacy Commissioner has ordered American Express Australia to compensate a customer, apologise and strengthen internal controls after finding the card issuer failed to adequately protect personal information from unauthorised employee access.

Regulation

Jun 17, 2026

ASX admits CHESS claims misled market, faces $20.5m penalty

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has struck a proposed settlement with ASX Limited after the market operator admitted it misled investors about the progress of its troubled CHESS replacement project.

Crypto

Jun 17, 2026

Banking Circle opens Australia to pipeline of global stablecoin players

Banking Circle is expanding its Australian stablecoin push, introducing a pipeline of international digital asset firms to local payment rails while remaining silent on recent PayTo disruptions involving two customers.

Cash

Jun 17, 2026

Cash tax imminent for Aussie regions as Armaguard confirms new pricing is close

Armaguard has confirmed the long-delayed Deloitte pricing model is close to final, but industry insiders warn it will feature a tiered model that gets more expensive the further you get from the capital city CBDs.

Identity

Jun 17, 2026

ConnectID rolls out nationally through Telstra retail network as Canberra’s scam rules loom

With the fight against scams and fraud firmly on the political agenda, Telstra just made it simpler to verify your identity using the payments rails, allowing you to check in with an organisation that already knows who you are - like one of the Big Four banks, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank (CBA), ANZ and NAB – without sharing sensitive documents.

Scams & Fraud

Jun 17, 2026

Home Affairs wants telcos and cloud giants to stop cyber threats upstream

The new Horizon 2 plan leans on the companies sitting above your screen, the telcos and cloud operators, to kill attacks at scale and speed before they result in system attacks, data breaches, fraud and scams in Australia.

Surcharging

Jun 17, 2026

Is Amex sleepwalking into regulatory and customer nightmare?

By imposing its “no surcharge" rule on Australia’s merchants, Amex has just opened the door for regulators to step in, and they might just drag the banks' interchange holiday on corporate cards along with them.

Mobile

Jun 17, 2026

Mobile tap takes the lead as card spend hits new records

For the first time, more than half of all contactless in-store debit card transaction value is being generated from tapping with a mobile device.

Fintech

Jun 17, 2026

OKX Pay launches in Australia

Global cryptocurrency exchange launches new everyday spending instrument for Australian customers, offering up rewards in global dollar stablecoin, USDG.

Fintech

Jun 17, 2026

Revolut renews bank licence bid and launches $1,200 debit card as regulatory clouds gather

Switched off from the NPP PayTo service for now after a a zombie fraud incident, the global fintech is also fighting to gain a licence in the US and has been blocked from onboarding new customers in the European Union, even as its customer numbers grow and its valuation has soared past US$100 billion.

The Interchange Bench

Jun 17, 2026

The Interchange Bench

On The Interchange Bench this week, Paymark loses Maxine Elliott after Cuscal buyout, Jose Barroso leaves Zai, payments glitz infiltrates the World Cup, ANZ hires new NZ CEO Ben Kelleher, Brad Pragnell re-starts private consulting after COBA gig, Paul Griffin exits Littlepay and Robert Denina moves from PAX to Cuscal.

Jun 17, 2026

Tyro cuts jobs, chases big customers as Lee shifts gear for "growth phase"

After revealing plans to finally put its under-utilised banking licence to work, Tyro, CEO, Nigel Lee, is now taking an axe to headcount, reprioritising resources and chasing bigger customers in an effort to bolster the company's lagging performance.

Surcharging

Jun 17, 2026

Visa spent 15 years killing surcharges now it wants the banks to do the dirty work

With every major scheme now committed to no-surcharge rules from October 1, attention turns to the wording no one will publish, the policing no one will detail, and the new service fees merchants are already reaching for. The promised consumer savings may be the first thing to disappear.

Jun 17, 2026

Visa unveils vision for “programable commerce” and OpenAI partnership

Agent scoring, agentic registry and large transaction model capabilities, stablecoin settlement and token enhancements support the next generation of digital commerce says Visa.

Surcharging

Jun 11, 2026

US scheme twins Visa and Mastercard move in lockstep on “no surcharge” rules

Just days after eftpos and American Express, card scheme giants Visa and Mastercard have formally confirmed what most of the payments industry already knew: both will enforce "no surcharge" rules on Australian merchants from 1 October.

Crypto

Jun 10, 2026

An Australian fintech just made the first legal crypto bet in Nevada history

Aussie fintech BurraPay spent a decade building the compliance plumbing that finally got Bitcoin past the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The first depositor was a bare-knuckle boxer with 23 million TikTok followers.

Jun 10, 2026

Aussie IPF joins powerful global merchant group

Australia’s Independent Payments Forum (IPF) has been selected to provide Australian perspectives to global retailers through the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) which boasts members such as Amazon, Walmart, The Walt Disney Company and Netflix.

Digital & Online

Jun 10, 2026

Australians yawn at CBDC as RBA explores future of digital money

Australians are more interested in solving real-world payment frustrations than adopting a digital version of the Australian dollar, according to early findings discussed by the Reserve Bank's Payments System Board.

Cash

Jun 10, 2026

Big four move to outfox Armaguard at arm's length

ANZ, CBA, NAB and Westpac have asked the ACCC for authorisation to run cash distribution through a jointly owned company that replaces Westpac as the Reserve Bank's licence holder, spreads the banknote liability 25% each, and keeps Armaguard at arm's length.

Banks

Jun 10, 2026

CBA unleashes AI “Companion” for testing on real customers

Commonwealth Bank’s AI vision just got real, with the bank unleashing “CommBank Companion” for testing on both businesses and consumers last week.

Merchant Service Fees

Jun 10, 2026

eftpos moves first on “no surcharge” rule but may face resurgence of terminal service fees

eftpos owner Australian Payments Plus (AP+) plugs least cost routing as merchants prepare to swallow billions in fees and questions swirl about policing “no surcharge” rules and a potential resurgence of terminal service fees.

Regulation

Jun 10, 2026

Industry considers who pays when PayTo goes wrong

More than 30 payment providers met with Australian Payments Plus (AP+) on Friday, as Revolut’s recent zombie fraud issue pushed PayTo's awkward liability question out of conference panels and into the operator's boardroom.

Regulation

Jun 10, 2026

Inside a Telstra impersonation scam that hit a Sydney grandmother

I'm writing about this scam because the mechanics of it map almost perfectly onto the scam categories regulators are now trying to price into law, and because the loss landed at a number, $3,000, that's about to mean something very specific under Australian rules. It’s also a case of a person’s brain being hacked, and not their phone!

Cards

Jun 10, 2026

No concessions as Melbourne turns on $2B tap transit tech and Sydney moves on

A “successful trial” of standard tap and go transit payments tech in Melbourne will finally see the service expand over the coming week - just as Sydney rapidly moves to the next generation which includes concession ticket-holders such as kids, pensioners and people with disabilities.

Merchant Service Fees

Jun 10, 2026

Punters to pay for rewards, as costly Amex applies “no surcharge” rule and Tyro complies

Struggling small businesses and their customers will be forced to pay for costly premium Amex rewards programs and international card fees, after the RBA gave non-designated card schemes like Amex, Discover and China UnionPay a temporary green light to apply “no surcharge” rules from October 1. Tyro has joined Fiserv in bowing to the international card schemes “no-surcharge” rules without question.

HAVE A NEWS STORY TO SHARE?

FEATURED

RBA's next payments war set to engulf Apple, Amex, BNPL and Big Tech

Small business locked out of merchant fee deals as big banks refuse to fund advisors

THE LATEST

Zombie fraud accelerates PayTo liability upgrade

Peaking too early - beware premature terminal offers

Payments win as Hello Clever dominates Finnies

The Interchange Bench

STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST PAYMENTS NEWS

TRENDING

RBA downgrades RITS governance

QuickBooks taps Employment Hero as Payday Super deadline looms

EFTEX celebrates 25 years after first ATM transaction

Adyen’s “universal translator” built for new era of commerce

NAB launches Nexus hub as cyber threats surge

CBA elevates AI with tech leadership shake-up

Banking giant HSBC hit with $35m penalty over systemic scam protection failures

Amex leads the way on “service fee” model for payments platforms

Amex ordered to compensate customer after privacy breach

ASX admits CHESS claims misled market, faces $20.5m penalty

Banking Circle opens Australia to pipeline of global stablecoin players

Cash tax imminent for Aussie regions as Armaguard confirms new pricing is close

ConnectID rolls out nationally through Telstra retail network as Canberra’s scam rules loom

Home Affairs wants telcos and cloud giants to stop cyber threats upstream

Is Amex sleepwalking into regulatory and customer nightmare?

Mobile tap takes the lead as card spend hits new records

OKX Pay launches in Australia

Revolut renews bank licence bid and launches $1,200 debit card as regulatory clouds gather

The Interchange Bench

Tyro cuts jobs, chases big customers as Lee shifts gear for "growth phase"

Visa spent 15 years killing surcharges now it wants the banks to do the dirty work

Visa unveils vision for “programable commerce” and OpenAI partnership

US scheme twins Visa and Mastercard move in lockstep on “no surcharge” rules

An Australian fintech just made the first legal crypto bet in Nevada history

Aussie IPF joins powerful global merchant group

Australians yawn at CBDC as RBA explores future of digital money

Big four move to outfox Armaguard at arm's length

CBA unleashes AI “Companion” for testing on real customers

eftpos moves first on “no surcharge” rule but may face resurgence of terminal service fees

Industry considers who pays when PayTo goes wrong

Inside a Telstra impersonation scam that hit a Sydney grandmother

No concessions as Melbourne turns on $2B tap transit tech and Sydney moves on

Punters to pay for rewards, as costly Amex applies “no surcharge” rule and Tyro complies

HAVE A NEWS STORY TO SHARE?