US merchants

The European Union is pushing to develop its own payment system, reducing reliance on US-dominated networks such as Visa and Mastercard. The Council of the EU has highlighted the initiative, arguing that home-grown payment infrastructure would strengthen strategic autonomy, cut fees for merchants, and shield European commerce from geopolitical pressure. The move follows years of concern in Brussels that Europe's payments market depends heavily on foreign providers.

Visa, Mastercard and several major banks are facing a new lawsuit alleging that the fees they charge merchants for card payments are anticompetitive. The case adds to the growing wave of legal challenges over interchange and swipe fees in the US payments industry, where retailers have long argued that card networks and issuers inflate costs that are ultimately passed on to consumers.

A developer working on payment systems for a US merchant described implementing surcharging logic: debit cards are exempt from a 3% fee while credit cards carry it, following standard state regulations. Card type detection relies on a static BIN range table updated quarterly from the payment processor. Complaints from cardholders unhappy about the fee have begun arriving, with some disputing the charge.

President Trump claims the US economy is booming, but the Oklahoman examines how businesses in Durant, Oklahoma are actually faring. The piece checks local conditions on the ground against the White House's optimistic national message, highlighting the gap between macroeconomic rhetoric and the experience of small-town merchants and consumers.