Mastercard's new SMMP program can flag merchants at 5 percent combined refunds and chargebacks, and Visa's VAMP threshold dropped from 2.2 to 1.5 percent. Winning a dispute does not remove it from your ratio under either program.

The planned drop to a $600 1099-K reporting threshold is dead. New legislation restored the original $20,000-and-200-transaction threshold, retroactive to 2022, though several states still set their own threshold as low as $600.

The threshold forcing merchants off OptBlue and into a direct Amex agreement just tripled, from $1 million to $3 million, effective April 2026. Merchants scaling their Amex volume now have three times the runway before facing that relationship.

The G20 set a 2027 deadline for faster, cheaper, more accessible cross-border payments. This 2-minute video breaks down the actual targets, and why the Financial Stability Board says progress is behind schedule.