Payment News

Mastercard Claims to be Friendly Partner for Europe

The European Payment Initiative and the Digital Euro aim to gain European payment independence from the US payment giants. Mastercard has now responded, pointing out it is deeply embedded in Europe and is a partner not a threat. It employs thousands and is investing in new European data centres which will see more European payments authorised locally.

The Dominance of Pix in Brazil

Pix, launched in November 2020 in Brazil, is now the default payment method for about 70% of the population. In 2025 there were more Pix transactions than both Visa and Mastercard combined.

Pix is a government-built, centrally regulated payments rail that competes directly with private-sector incumbents. Pix charges users no fees and small businesses almost zero fee levels. The central bank requires any financial institution with over 500,000 accounts to offer it. Helped by this, the system now accounts for roughly 45% of all digital transactions in Brazil, while credit and debit cards have seen their share of total payment volumes plateau.