MRC Advocacy in Action: Global Payments, Local Impact

Over the past few months, MRC has been actively advocating on behalf of our members, driving engagement with key stakeholders and regulators to address evolving challenges in the global payments landscape.

A significant focus has been on supporting members' understanding of Visa's VAMP (Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program) requirements. We facilitated direct engagement with Visa, including Q&A sessions with the VAMP owner during MRC Barcelona and recently held a dedicated webinar to allow members to raise questions and clarify concerns directly. In addition, we have been consulting very closely with Visa over the past three months to ensure that upcoming changes to the VAMP program consider the feedback of our membership. These efforts have helped improve transparency and ensure compliance readiness across our community.

We are also closely monitoring the rollout of Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) in Japan and its implications for merchants. In Australia, we continue to engage with AusPayNet on major developments, including the transition from the Bulk Electronic Clearing System (BECS), the planned phasing out of cheques by 2030, and the ongoing review of the Payment System Regulation Act. Our advocacy touches on merchant inclusion thresholds in fraud schemes, SCA implementation challenges, customer education on dual network debit cards, and the status of merchant data portability standards.

At a European level, we are in dialogue with the European Commission on card network fees, a topic under scrutiny by regulators globally. We are also contributing to discussions on open banking and how it can benefit EU citizens.

In Brazil, we are working with ABECS to assess the impact of local SCA requirements on merchants and ensure that implementation considers the practical needs of the business community. Most recently, we participated in a week-long engagement alongside our merchant members across diverse verticals to ensure the ABECS' SCA proposal was fit-for-purpose in sectors like retail, digital goods and travel. We are continuing to work with ABECS to make proposed changes that reflect the concerns of MRC members who operate in Brazil.