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NewsBriefs

This article contains summaries of news stories recently posted under falling an average of 39 points when fees were applied.
Breaking Industry News on our homepage. For links to these and other Most affected cardholders tried alternative payments to
full news stories, please visit www.greensheet.com/breakingnews.php. avoid surcharges.
WalletHub’s April 2025 survey showed 82 percent of
Americans have been charged fees, 87 percent feel “nickel-
and-dimed” and 58 percent believe merchants lack trans-
parency. Two-thirds said they would stop using credit
cards if fees apply. The studies suggest while surcharging
may boost margins, it erodes trust, drives alternative pay-
ments and risks long-term loyalty.
Fiserv gets on board with pot shops New bank-to-bank payment
option for cannabis shops
Fiserv introduced a way for cannabis dispensaries to ac-
cept payment cards through its Accel debit network, by- IndicaOnline launched sweedePay, an ACH-based pay-
passing Visa and Mastercard restrictions tied to federal ment system powered by Aeropay, to help cannabis
cannabis laws. The solution enables cardholders to make dispensaries move beyond cash. The system supports
PIN-based mag-stripe purchases at state-authorized dis- both in-store and delivery models, ensuring compliance
pensaries, improving convenience and loyalty. About through encryption and regulatory safeguards. With U.S.
3,100 financial institutions participate in Accel, serving 3 cannabis sales hitting $15.2 billion in 2023 and projected
million merchant locations. to soar to $171 billion by 2028, dispensaries remain largely
cash-dependent because card networks prohibit cannabis
Fiserv is also helping dispensaries manage business ex- transactions under federal law.
penses by offering business debit cards that can be used
for supplies but not cannabis purchases. With U.S. canna- Previous alternatives like prepaid cards and cashless
bis sales at $15.2 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $171 ATMs failed to gain traction. SweedePay aims to fill that
billion by 2028, the company sees a significant growth gap by enabling safe, legal bank-to-bank payments. Indi-
opportunity. The initiative also supports financial institu- caOnline, with over a decade of experience in POS and
tions diversifying portfolios while addressing cash-han- compliance systems, positioned sweedePay as a tool to
dling and compliance challenges. eliminate one of the industry’s biggest obstacles: limited
access to reliable digital payment processing.
AGs to payment companies:
help us stop 'deepfakes' Nuvei partners with EWS for Paze online checkout

A bipartisan coalition of 47 state attorneys general urged Nuvei partnered with Early Warning Services (EWS) to
payment platforms, including Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, integrate the Paze digital wallet into its online checkout
PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay, to block transactions solutions. Paze, owned by seven major U.S. banks and
linked to nonconsensual deepfake pornography (NCII). launched in 2023, uses tokenization for added security
These AI-generated images and videos cause widespread and simplified checkout, aiming to reduce the nearly 71
harm, particularly to women, girls and youth. The AGs percent U.S. cart-abandonment rate.
asked companies to detail current practices and commit to
stricter enforcement of acceptable-use policies. They also The partnership expands Paze’s reach to Nuvei’s extensive
pushed search engines to add safeguards like warnings U.S. merchant base, improving conversion rates and reduc-
and redirects. Mastercard voiced support, noting its zero- ing friction. Executives from both companies highlighted
tolerance policy for unlawful content. the synergy of Nuvei’s acquiring and fraud prevention
with Paze’s bank-backed credentials. EWS has been grow-
With cases involving celebrities and school-aged children, ing adoption through strategic alliances, including one
officials warned of serious mental health impacts and ex- with Fiserv in June 2025. The Nuvei deal further positions
ploitation risks. The coalition emphasized that payment Paze as a trusted, convenient alternative to big-tech wal-
providers have restricted harmful content before and must lets in ecommerce payments.
act decisively to curb the monetization of deepfake NCII.

Surcharges impact card use, satisfaction
Also find us on Facebook,
Studies by J.D. Power and WalletHub revealed growing
consumer frustration with credit card surcharges. J.D. LinkedIn & Twitter for the
Power found 34 percent of small businesses now add sur- most up-to-date stories,
charges, allowed in 47 states, though transparency rules can’t miss events and newest
vary. Its 2025 survey showed 65 percent of cardholders industry announcements.
had paid surcharges, with satisfaction scores for issuers

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