Visa and Mastercard's October 2026 interchange rate changes and network fee updates are narrow, but they still change what shows up on a merchant statement and what an ISO needs to explain.
FinCEN's 2026 final rule narrowed beneficial ownership information reporting to foreign entities only, changing what merchant KYB checks actually need to verify during underwriting.
Visa's Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) lowered the merchant excessive dispute threshold to 1.5% in 2026, changing how ISOs should underwrite chargeback risk before approval, not after a dispute spike.
Automated compliance for payment providers now means running OFAC, MATCH, and KYB and KYC checks consistently across every merchant, not just at boarding.
Automated merchant due diligence treats underwriting as an ongoing check instead of a one-time gate, which matters as a merchant portfolio expands.
Merchant onboarding UX optimization looks at why applicants abandon a merchant application, and what a pre-filled, step-by-step flow changes about completion rates.
Everyday we talk to experts in payments, underwriting and merchant onboarding. They share their insights with us, and we want to share them with you.
