EMEA

The U.K. Supreme Court has rejected Mastercard’s attempt to force individual lawsuits over claims the card brand overcharged consumers and negatively impacted competition for more than a decade.

As a way to help small businesses maintain COVID-19 social distancing measures, Judopay is using a longer-range QR code that removes the need for any interaction at a point of sale device.

Looking to ease contactless payments for cash wary consumers and businesses, PayPal has launched QR code payment acceptance in its iZettle point-of-sale application for small businesses in the U.K.

Cash is fading in the Middle East, and traditional banks are turning to fintechs to expedite upgrades before challenger banks and digital wallets seize the advantage.

Banking trade organizations are usually cautious about making endorsements. But with Democrats winning the White House and control of Congress on the line in the two races, some groups are pouring in cash for the GOP candidates.

London-based crypto payments app Ziglu, launched by Starling Bank co-founder Mark Hipperson, has raised £6 million (about $8 million) on the Seedrs equity crowdfunding platform.

After tests with several banks that established Swift's ability to connect its Global Payments Initiative faster payments rail to domestic networks, the financial and messaging standards organization is activating the service in the U.K.

For years, business models based around micropayments have been touted as an alternative to advertising, offering a new form of revenue for all kinds of content creators, enabling users to pay for the exact quantity of services they consume. They have even been suggested as a way to create alternative insurance products, for example forms of car insurance where drivers pay per journey.

Viva Wallet is offering London’s 20,000 black taxis a Mastercard-branded business debit card whose cashback is meant to be offset against card acceptance fees at the acquirer’s in-taxi terminals.

Many countries are positioning themselves as a destination for fintechs seeking EU-wide licenses as the U.K. leaves the EU. Following Brexit, U.K. electronic money and payments institution licenses across the EU won’t be passportable across the EU.