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Transaction Laundering and Miscoding as Hidden Threats to Your Fintech Business
Two linked threats can cost a payment company its card scheme access: transaction laundering and miscoding. In the first, an illicit merchant processes payments through a legitimate merchant’s account. In the second, a wrong merchant category code hides what the merchant really does. Visa and Mastercard hold acquirers responsible for their merchants, and acquirers pass…
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Brazil’s Betting Ban: What Comes Next
On 25 September 2026 Brazil’s president signed Provisional Measure No. 1,394 (Medida Provisória), which banned fixed-odds betting in the country, that is sports betting and online casinos, including for operators abroad. The regulated market that opened under Law 14,790/2023 is closed. Licences were extinguished on 25 October, banks and payment institutions may not process such…
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EMI and Payment Institution Licence in the EU, UK and Canada
A payments business starts with choosing a regime. In the EU it is a PI or EMI licence, in the UK FCA (UK Financial Conduct Authority) authorisation, in Canada registration as a payment service provider with the Bank of Canada. We cover capital, timelines, safeguarding and what PSD3 changes. Minimum capital in the EU is…
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How Banks Block Fintech Startup Accounts and how to Avoid it
Why banks block fintech accounts, which actions trigger it and what to do in advance to keep your account stable.