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IndustryUpdate
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EMS rebrands as Kurv

Electronic Merchant Systems rebranded as Kurv, unveil-
ing a modern payments platform designed to make
transactions simpler, faster and more flexible. Led by
Executive Chairman and CEO Afshin Yazdian, Kurv
focuses on removing friction for small businesses
through instant payments, advanced reporting and 24/7
U.S.-based support. The platform strengthens security
with AI-driven fraud detection and streamlines under-
writing for rapid onboarding, Kurv stated, adding that
it also enhances tools for ISO agents with a new Agent
Portal offering real-time dashboards, instant underwrit-
ing and automated workflows. Recent acquisitions and
expanded leadership further position Kurv for acceler-
ated growth, the company noted.
PayRam unveils private
stablecoin payment gateway

ANNOUNCEMENTS PayRam launched a decentralized stablecoin payments
gateway designed to give merchants and individuals full
control of their payment infrastructure without interme-
APAC awards names Paymentology diaries. Built for privacy, autonomy and self-custody,
the Best Payments Service PayRam is focused on enabling users to self-host pay-
ment nodes and eliminate risks such as frozen accounts,
Paymentology won the Best Payments Service Award at delayed settlements and centralized oversight. Founded
the 2025 APAC Payments Excellence Awards, underscor- by Siddharth Menon of WazirX, the platform supports
ing the company's commitment to fast, deeply localized multi-chain stablecoin and crypto payments and can
solutions. The company was recognized for its advanced be deployed in minutes on minimal hardware, PayRam
issuer-processing platform and service model across stated. With programmable APIs, advanced analytics
Asia Pacific, which is designed to enable banks, digital and privacy-preserving smart-contract tools, PayRam
banks and fintechs to launch and scale localized pay- aims to establish a permissionless PayFi layer that pow-
ment solutions with real-time data, multi-cloud support ers the next era of decentralized, stablecoin-driven com-
and 24/7 operational resilience. Presented in Hong Kong, merce.
the award reflects Paymentology's role in supporting
rapid growth in digital and cross-border payments Venmo introduces Venmo Stash rewards
throughout the region. Judges praised Paymentology
for bold innovation and leadership shaping APAC's pay- Venmo launched Venmo Stash, a new rewards program
ments future. that grows in value as customers use more Venmo
products. Designed to support Venmo's evolution from
Disputed.ai launches free VAMP calculator a peer-to-peer app into a broader commerce platform,
Stash offers up to 5 percent cash back on Venmo debit
Disputed.ai launched its free VAMP Calculator to help card purchases from curated brand bundles aligned with
merchants and payment processors assess their status users' lifestyles. Customers earn 1 percent cash back
under the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) by using their balance, 2 percent when enabling auto-
ahead of stricter enforcement heading in 2026. The tool reloads, and 5 percent when receiving monthly direct
mirrors Visa's methodology for calculating the VAMP deposits. Cash back is automatically added to the Venmo
ratio, which combines fraud and non-fraud disputes. balance each month. Venmo plans to expand Stash in
Businesses exceeding Visa's thresholds (1.5 percent 2026 with additional ways to earn rewards across its
today and 0.9 percent starting April 2026) risk $8-per- merchant network
dispute fees and potential loss of processing privileges.
Disputed.ai CEO Shawn Kelley said the tool provides RESEARCH
much-needed transparency as VAMP's rules can cause
fraud reports to count twice. With more than 1,000
assessments completed, the calculator is helping mer- Security concerns cause UK shoppers
chants detect risk earlier and avoid penalties, the com- to abandon online purchases
pany added.
A new Burbank–YouGov report shows trust, not speed,
determines online checkout success. More than half of
UK shoppers surveyed indicated they have abandoned
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