payment systems

Visa, Mastercard complete first international card payments in Syria

Visa and Mastercard each completed landmark first live international payment transactions in Syria on Wednesday, marking the country's most concrete step yet toward full reintegration into the global financial system — just days after the United States formally removed Syria…

Researchers revive expired Visa cards for purchases using NFC relay attack

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have demonstrated a practical NFC relay attack that can revive expired Visa contactless credit cards for real in-store purchases, exploiting a weakness in how the payment network handles expiration date verification.

BRICS dollar alternatives no longer a ‘fantasy,’ economist O’Neill says

Jim O'Neill, the economist who coined the term "BRIC" in 2001 while at Goldman Sachs, has shifted his stance on the bloc's ability to develop alternatives to the U.S. dollar, telling Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation that recent advances in payment…

Google Play Store opens external billing June 30

Google Alphabet Inc. is set to implement sweeping changes to its Play Store billing model on June 30, 2026, replacing its long-standing flat 30% commission with a tiered fee structure developed as part of its antitrust settlement with Epic Games.…