Payment fraud and chargeback prevention for online retailers
A hub guide to fraud and disputes in online retail: the attack types, the controls that stop them and the cost of getting the balance wrong.
Payments & Fintech
Payment networks, fintech innovation, BNPL, crypto payments, and POS technology covering global commerce.
Why US buy-now-pay-later is converting into deposit-funded banking: 3 charter signals
Klarna and Affirm are both pursuing US industrial bank charters, and the pattern points to buy-now-pay-later converting from securitization-funded lending into deposit-funded banking. Expect the first hard tells before year-end 2026 and product moves in 2027.
Why the UK’s new BNPL rules will shrink checkout volumes this half: 3 regulatory signals
The UK’s BNPL regime went live on 15 July 2026, and the signals point to a measurable contraction in transaction volume across Q3 and Q4. Expect at least one major provider to acknowledge the drag by early 2027.
PayPal Just Called Stripe’s $53 Billion Bid Too Low
PayPal’s board has looked at the biggest check in fintech history and decided it is not big enough. Directors reviewing the roughly $53 billion joint …
Why retail’s 2026 stablecoin wave lands in settlement, not checkout: 3 signals
Three signals from the last month point to stablecoins entering US retail through the back office, not the checkout page, before the 2026 holidays. Here is why settlement, treasury, and cross-border payouts are likely to move first, and which platforms are positioned to disclose it.
Why agentic checkout becomes a named sales channel before year-end 2026: 3 convergence signals
Three signals from June and July 2026 (a live payments rail, a platform at general availability, and an agentic hiring wave) point to agentic checkout becoming a named sales channel before year-end. Expect at least one major US retailer to cite agent-referred or proxy sales in Q3 or Q4 investor commentary.
Stripe and Advent bid $53bn for PayPal: payments megamerger looms
Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have offered more than $53 billion, or $60.50 a share, to buy PayPal. The unsolicited bid marks one of the largest deals in payments history and faces steep antitrust hurdles.
FCA regulates buy now, pay later from today: 11m UK users face checks
The Financial Conduct Authority began regulating buy now, pay later credit on 15 July 2026, forcing Klarna, Clearpay, PayPal and other lenders to run affordability checks and hand users new complaint rights. Around 11 million UK shoppers now fall under protections that already cover credit cards, but analysts warn stricter checks could shut some borrowers out.
Visa launches AI Financial Assistant: banks get an in-app money coach
Visa will let banks embed an AI Financial Assistant inside their own apps, offering conversational money guidance grounded in cardholder data and about 257 billion annual transactions. The US pilot opens in August 2026 as card networks race to turn AI into a value-added revenue engine.
Why the first at-scale US stablecoin checkout rail is likely network-run by Q1 2027: 3 signals
Signals point to stablecoins reaching US retail checkout on card-network rails, not retailer-issued coins. The first at-scale rail likely goes live before the end of Q1 2027.