Payments & Fintech
Cards, transfers and the systems that move money.
Interchange Fee vs MDR: Which Part of a Card Fee Is Which
The MDR is the whole charge for accepting a card; interchange is the issuer's slice inside it.
3D Secure Explained: Why Some Card Payments Ask for a Second Step
Why your bank asks you to approve some online card payments, when it can skip the step, and who pays for fraud.
Chargeback Fee: What a Disputed Card Payment Costs a Merchant
The chargeback fee Stripe, PayPal and Square charge, and the other costs of a disputed card payment.
Interchange-Plus vs Flat Rate: Choosing a Card Pricing Model
Interchange plus vs flat rate: one rate for every card, or the real cost of each card plus a markup.
Interchange Fee Explained: Where a Card Payment Fee Goes
Interchange fee explained: one processing fee on the statement, three payments to three different parties.
10 People Shaping Fintech
Ten people whose work helps explain where payments, digital banking and financial infrastructure are going.
Stablecoin Payments: Where the Fees Come From
A low network fee is only one part of moving money from a customer's wallet to a merchant's bank.
Why a Cross-Border Transfer Can Still Take Days
The international message can arrive quickly while the recipient's money waits in the last mile.
What Happens After You Tap Your Card?
The terminal's approval is one step in a longer journey from a payment request to settled funds.
Follow a card payment from the terminal to settlement, compare the separate costs in a stablecoin payment and locate the handoffs that can slow an international transfer. Our people feature introduces contributors across payments, digital banking and financial health. Together, these guides connect a familiar financial interface to the institutions and decisions behind it.
Visit the Payments & Fintech desk for current reports alongside these explainers.