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NewsBriefs

This article contains summaries of news stories recently posted under lytics. Black Friday remains the most popular shopping
Breaking Industry News on our homepage. For links to these and other day, followed by Cyber Monday, while Small Business
full news stories, please visit www.greensheet.com/breakingnews.php. Saturday continues to gain traction as shoppers prioritize
local businesses.

The NRF previously forecast that total holiday spending
will top $1 trillion for the first time in 2025. More than
half of consumers had already begun holiday shopping by
early November, with clothing, gift cards and toys leading
planned purchases. Debit cards remain the dominant pay-
ment method, followed by credit cards and digital wallets.
Gift card spending was projected to reach $29.1 billion.
The survey also found two-thirds of respondents planned
Battle lines drawn over proposed to donate or support socially responsible retailers.
merchant settlement
ISVs, ISOs chart new course
A proposed Visa-Mastercard settlement aimed at resolv-
ing long-running merchant litigation is already facing sig- Netevia and Stackably partnered to deliver vertically inte-
nificant pushback, and even if approved, would not take grated payment and software solutions designed for un-
effect until late 2026 or fiscal year 2027. Visa executives be- derserved markets such as gymnastics gyms, dance stu-
lieve the agreement would provide meaningful merchant dios and swim schools.
relief, including a temporary 10-basis-point reduction in
effective interchange, elimination of the honor-all-cards Unlike legacy platforms that tack payments onto third-
rule, and expanded surcharge flexibility. party software, Stackably builds purpose-made vertical
solutions with Netevia’s payment infrastructure embed-
Merchant trade groups, however, feel the concessions are ded at the core. The newly launched GymnasticsStack,
short-lived and insufficient. Senator Dick Durbin joined DanceStack and SwimStack platforms offer streamlined
critics, asserting the settlement preserves excessive swipe onboarding, integrated financial tools and same-day
fees while limiting long-term competition. He renewed funding, with instant funding planned.
calls to pass the Credit Card Competition Act, which
would mandate multiple network routing options. Finan- Executives said the partnership reflects a broader shift in
cial institution groups oppose the bill, warning benefits merchant services toward unified software and payments
would accrue mainly to mega-retailers and harm commu- ecosystems. By enabling faster access to funds and more
nity banks. predictable cash flow, the platforms aim to help operators
reinvest quickly and scale operations. Both companies be-
Banking and credit card customers lieve tightly integrated payments, not standalone process-
complacent about fraud protection ing, are now essential to delivering meaningful value and
supporting business growth in specialized verticals.
Despite widespread exposure to fraud, many banking and
credit card customers fail to take basic steps to protect Consumer financial confidence
their accounts, according to J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Finan- lagging, Jack Henry study finds
cial Protection Survey. The study found that nearly one-
fourth of bank customers and 29 percent of cardholders Jack Henry’s 2025 Financial Sentiment Study found that
surveyed had taken no proactive security measures in the consumer financial confidence remains fragile during the
past 90 days. Half reported not being prompted by their holiday season, with only 52 percent of respondents sat-
providers to do so. Fraud affects Gen Z disproportionately, isfied with their financial situation. Confidence closely
yet customer awareness remains low. tracks financial knowledge, money management skills
and trust in financial institutions, all areas where gaps
Satisfaction scores drop sharply when security is per- persist. Fewer than half of consumers in the study feel
ceived as inadequate but remain stable even when pro- confident about saving or planning; confidence in borrow-
tections feel burdensome. Based on responses from more ing is even lower.
than 40,000 customers, the research highlights a growing
gap between institutions’ heavy cybersecurity invest- Digital experience emerged as a critical driver of satisfac-
ments and limited customer engagement. tion, with customers valuing reliable tools such as bill pay,
transfers and card controls. Respondents reported using
Thanksgiving weekend expected to an average of 14 financial apps, underscoring how quickly
draw record number of shoppers dissatisfied consumers turn to fintech alternatives. The
study found sharp differences by life stage, reinforcing
A record 186.9 million consumers were expected to shop the need for more targeted engagement strategies.
from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, according to
the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insight & Ana-
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