Capital One received the go-ahead from the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to acquire Discover, at a cost of $35 billion. The move could mean the end of the credit card duopoly that has been a crook in the craw of merchants and the U.S. Department of Justice for decades.

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With more than 25 years in the payments industry, Jeff Shavitz has built and sold multiple companies, written bestselling books on entrepreneurship and focused on helping other business owners thrive. His latest venture, FamVault, launched in 2024, tackles the organizing of vital documents for life and legacy. In this conversation, Shavitz reflects on what's involved in scaling a national ISO, the power of residual income and why recurring revenue—and golf—remain central to his entrepreneurial journey.

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Global Payments and Fidelity Information Services just disclosed a set of agreements that have the effect of swapping out business specialties. Specifically, Global is divesting its Issuer Solutions business, selling it to FIS for $13.5 billion, and it is acquiring Worldpay from GTCR and FIS for a net purchase price of $22.7 billion, or a total value of $24.25 billion, including $1.55 billion of anticipated tax assets.

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A recent survey of U.S. financial services professionals uncovered a troubling paradox: while most firms feel confident in meeting 2025 compliance deadlines, only a fraction believe their current technology is up to the task. Legacy systems, siloed data, and manual workarounds continue to drive up compliance costs and operational risk.

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Shazam, the EFT network and merchant services provider based in Iowa, is shedding its 25-year-old merchant services businesses in order to concentrate on its core business: running an EFT network.

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As reported yesterday, U.S. Bank, parent of leading acquirer Elavon, launched an all-in-one checking account tethered to payment acceptance capabilities for small businesses. U.S. Bank Business Essentials makes it possible for small businesses to accept card payments with free same-day access to their funds, and a free mobile card reader for new accounts, in addition to checking with unlimited digital transactions and no monthly maintenance fees.

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U.S. Bank introduced a new all-in-one banking solution tailored to meet the evolving needs of small businesses. The newly launched U.S. Bank Business Essentials account combines a premier checking account with integrated card payment acceptance and digital cash flow management—all with no monthly maintenance fee, the bank stated.

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Visa recently launched a trio of new services designed to operate beyond Visa in an open "any payment ecosystem," the company stated. The new services include a reimagined Authorize.net, Unified Checkout and ARIC Risk Hub.

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The U.S. House just passed a resolution overturning the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule giving it supervisory oversight of big tech companies' payments apps. The Senate passed a similar resolution last month, and President Trump indicated at the time that he would sign off on it when the House followed suit.

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Fraud is a persistent problem in payments that seemingly grows year-by-year, despite new and emerging technologies and processes intended to thwart fraudsters. The LexisNexis True Cost of Fraud Study: Ecommerce and Retail Report, covering the United States and Canada, revealed that U.S. merchants incur an average all-in cost of $4.61 for every $1 in fraud, compared to $4.52 in Canada.

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Tax season can be a stressful time for small, independent retailers—especially after the holiday rush gives way to slower sales, leaner margins and unexpected expenses. In this interview, Elie Y. Katz, founder, president and CEO of National Retail Solutions (NRS), explains how merchant cash advances (MCAs) can provide a much-needed lifeline for businesses struggling with post-holiday cash flow issues and tax-time surprises.

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Mastercard appears to be throwing its weight behind business-to-business card uses. The card company disclosed it is simplifying and scaling interactions among banks, platforms and corporates alike with the launch of a new program to accelerate virtual-card adoption.

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As financial crime grows in scale and sophistication, driven in part by emerging technologies like AI, the need for innovation, cross-border collaboration and smarter prevention tools has never been greater. In this exclusive Green Sheet interview, Joël Winteregg, CEO of NetGuardians, shares his insights on the evolving global threat landscape, the critical role of public-private partnerships, and how financial institutions can harness the latest advances in technology to stay one step ahead of fraudsters.

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) plans to back off an interpretive ruling that buy now pay later loans are subject to Regulation Z. Reg Z is a federal rule set that covers consumer credit extensions and includes requirements around account opening disclosures, billing statements, changes in terms disclosures and treatment of credit balances.

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The Federal Trade Commission reported that consumers lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, representing a 25 percent increase over 2023 losses. But some experts say losses were even higher.

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