After being disconnected from A2A platforms in Australia by Banking Circle due to AML compliance concerns, all signs point to Bolt Group having partnered with Westpac in nearby New Zealand where the anti-money laws are similar - but fintech promoters claim that they should have different obligations to banks.

Declared complete twice, nine months apart, the Independent Pricing Mechanism (IPM) for cash still hasn’t emerged despite the ACCC authorisation covering it expiring on 30 June. One ATM operator got out early and took a price hit to do it.

The ACCC has issued long-awaited guidance on how businesses can legally alert customers to cash, PayTo, PayID and other non-card payment method discounts, providing merchants with greater certainty just weeks before Visa, Mastercard, eftpos and Amex begin enforcing their new "no surcharge" rules from 1 October 2026.

Unlike Australia, where the private sector runs the distributed real-time NPP network, New Zealand's central bank has taken control, but a long-promised business case, now more than a month overdue, is expected to model India’s centralised UPI.

Australia's biggest bank CBA is working on the tokenised deposits capability, and with a global consortium for stablecoins, as it looks for faster ways to move money around the world.

PayPal remained the most complained-about merchant facilities provider in Australia during the 2025-26 financial year, with new Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) data showing payment service providers continuing to dominate complaint volumes ahead of the major banks.

Nearly a decade after the NPP launched, you still can't use it to pay for your coffee, your haircut, or your movie ticket. As the RBA launches its next review of retail payments Vibhu Arya, the former Country Leader for Payments & Financial Services at IKEA Australia New Zealand, explores why he thinks better NPP access for fintechs will open the door to A2A payments in retail.

On The Interchange Bench this week, CommBank builds up Trans-Tasman payments capability, Churchward stars in Cuscal’s show at WCUC, Pierce lands Qld Head of Fraud, Inman moves to integration and routing startup kadosei, Fisher shifts from Paydock to AI-focused ClearRoute and My Net goes early on surcharge ban.

Tyro Health has launched a new GapOnly Vet Portal that combines real-time pet insurance claims and digital payments in a single workflow for veterinary clinics.

With the RBA watching closely at developments in AI commerce, a joint white paper by Mastercard and Sunrate argues AI agents will move beyond automation to independently manage complex cross-border payment workflows, with governance and trust emerging as the critical challenges.

The Australian Signals Directorate today released revised advice on cutting critical infrastructure off from the internet, corporate networks and everything else.

Better late than never. Victorians and visitors to the Garden State no longer need to struggle with myki. From this week, you can tap your credit and debit card to pay for all public transport, including buses.

Sydney-based fintech Hello Clever has launched a new payments platform product aimed squarely at competing with Stripe Connect, promising real-time settlement, dedicated merchant accounts and simpler integration for marketplaces, SaaS providers and gig economy platforms.

Dutch payments giant Adyen has strengthened its presence in the global gaming sector by powering payments for the worldwide launch of Arknights: Endfield, highlighting the growing importance of high-performance payment infrastructure for Australian gamers and international game publishers alike.