Mastercard stories
Businesses can now use eligible virtual cards for tap-to-pay at shops, hotels and vendor sites, without issuing a physical card or extra app.
Borrowers could get funds on a Friday night as LoanPro folds real-time card disbursement, payments and AI servicing into one platform.
Banks and card networks may need new checks as software agents start buying on customers' behalf, blurring fraud and consent.
Payment firms are finding that card programmes take far more operational work to scale than to launch, with extra providers adding integration risk.
Fleet operators across Asia Pacific could cut reconciliation work as a new network unifies fuel, toll and parking payments for one account.
Canadian and US corporate card clients can now manage virtual payments inside existing finance software, reducing manual work and improving control.
New research shows 68% of SMEs now value stability over rapid expansion, prompting Mastercard to add business tools and cyber support.
Banks could add faster, more transparent overseas transfers to digital apps without costly from-scratch integrations under the tie-up.
Banks can now track tokenised deposits and stablecoins against backing funds even when core systems go offline.
Businesses will be able to receive SWIFT transfers and push funds onward in one system, reducing the need for extra banking infrastructure.
Consumers are still being hit by hefty card surcharges as retailers say lower interchange fees are hard to track and not yet filtering through.
Renters could keep earning card rewards as surcharges and platform changes push more landlords to drop credit card payments.
Renters who rely on card rewards could soon lose that option as one major payments platform stops taking cards, prompting a new alternative.
Kiwi shoppers could soon be spared paywave fees, with support growing for a New Zealand ban after Australia's new rules took effect on Thursday.
The rollout broadens Apple's reach into India's fast-growing cashless market, but only Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit card holders can use it at first.
The surcharge ban could squeeze merchants' margins unless they shift customers towards cheaper account-to-account payments, Hello Clever says.
More than 100 former students gathered in Gurugram as Arena Animation opened its 14th alumni chapter amid a crowded creative training market.
Shoppers will see fewer checkout fees on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa payments, though public holiday and weekend surcharges still apply.
UK merchants can now offer bank-based checkout across 27 European markets, as Brite enters one of the region's most mature open banking hubs.
Businesses using spend management software could face costly lock-in if their platform only works with its own corporate cards.