Nilson in the News

What Does the Capital One-Discover Deal Mean for Visa and Mastercard Investors?
"Capital One provides its customers with various financial and banking services and is the ninth-largest bank in the U.S. The company's bread-and-butter business is issuing branded cards through Visa and Mastercard. It's the fourth-largest card issuer in the U.S., according to The Nilson Report."

The fees war between retailers and credit card companies is heating up
"According to (the) Nilson Report, the weighted average percentage of fees paid by merchants for the use of credit cards has fluctuated between 2.09% and 2.24% since 2013. The rate for Visa and Mastercard credit cards was 2.24% in 2022."

Mastercard to be dinged by Discover deal
'“It will be all hands on deck at Visa and Mastercard to retain those cards,” said David Robertson, who is publisher of the industry research outlet Nilson Report."'

8 Biggest U.S. Credit Card Companies This Year
Mastercard and Visa debit and prepaid card transactions reached 89.8 billion in 2023, an increase of 6.9% from 2022, according to the most recent figures available from The Nilson Report, a newsletter covering the global payment industry. Debit and prepaid cards had a nearly 60% market share of all card transactions in 2023.

Capital One set to buy Discover for $35BILLION in historic deal that will unite two of the nation's biggest credit card issuers
"It was the fourth largest player in the U.S. credit card market by volume in 2022 while Discover was the sixth, according to Nilson."

Capital One-Discover merger could put a bigger squeeze on credit card users, experts warn
"The four biggest card brands — Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover — saw more than $10 trillion in purchases in 2023, up 6.4% from the year before, according to the Nilson Report."

How the Capital One-Discover Merger Could Affect Consumers
"Should the merger be approved by regulators, it could affect customers who currently hold Discover cards, of which there were 74.5 million in circulation at the end of 2022, according to the Nilson Report."

What to Know About Capital One’s Proposed Acquisition of Discover
"Capital One was the nation’s fourth-largest credit card issuer last year, with $122.9 billion in outstanding receivable payments, and Discover was the nation’s sixth largest with $94 billion, according to data from Nilson Report, a newsletter that tracks the payment industry.

The transaction is likely to draw scrutiny from regulators who are concerned that megadeals would give larger financial institutions even more power to set higher rates, said David Robertson, the publisher of the Nilson Report."

Capital One Wants to Buy Discover. What Would That Mean?
'“I think it’s not going to be a big change for credit card customers,” says David Robertson, editor and owner of the Nilson Report, a payment card industry trade journal. Discover cards, he says, are primarily cash-back cards, while Capital One offers a variety of rewards cards. A merger, Robinson says, “might allow for better rewards programs for both companies.”'

What are credit card surcharges and where are they legal?
"According to November 2022 data from the Nilson Report, consumer and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid general-purpose cards generated $9.7 trillion in transactions in 2021: a 22.5% increase over the previous year."

Peak Payment Card Use Might Be Closer Than You Think
"Last year, US merchants paid a record $161 billion in processing fees to accept nearly $11 trillion in card payments according to the Nilson Report, which also notes that the total value of fees was up 17% from 2021, even though purchases for goods and services tied to all card payments grew by only 12% year-over-year because credit card spending made up a larger share and credit cards cost merchants more to accept."

Here are 6 of the safest ways to pay online and in-person
"A December 2022 Nilson Report study forecasted that payment card losses, including credit and debit cards, could top $165 billion in the U.S. over the next ten years."

Mastercard ties growth to digital strategy
"Based on U.S. purchase volume last year, Visa controlled 52% of the market while Mastercard was a distant 24%, according to a February report from industry research firm The Nilson Report. However, Mastercard increased its market share by about half a percentage point over 2021 while Visa lost about half a percentage point, the report showed."

J.P. Morgan Payments Processes Record Number of Transactions in Europe
"In 2022, J.P. Morgan Payments was ranked No. 1 among merchant acquirers in Europe by web-based transactions in The Nilson Report."

Will China be a boon or bust for card networks?
"'UnionPay is the 800-pound gorilla in that market,” said David Robertson, whose The Nilson Report provides card market research. But there will be plenty of opportunities for U.S.-based companies to gain market share, he predicts. “I’m not saying that UnionPay is sweating bullets here — it’s just that the opportunity is so big.'”

Global Payments to elevate CIO from within
"The company was the third-largest non-bank merchant acquirer in the U.S. last year, according to industry research firm The Nilson Report."

Are credit card fees going to rise and what does it mean for businesses?
"According to The Nilson Report – a globally recognized authority on card payments – merchants in the US paid around $93 billion in credit card fees to Mastercard and Visa in 2022."

Fintech Featurespace Launches Large Transaction Model Using Generative AI for Financial Services
"According to the Nilson Report, global losses 'from card fraud are expected to total $397.4 billion over the next 10 years, with $165.1 billion of those losses happening in the U.S.'”

Plan to Revise Debit Card Swipe Fees Is Only a ‘Partial Victory for Consumers’
"Credit and debit card swipe fees have more than doubled over the past decade and are now $160.7 billion a year—over $1,000 a year for the average family, according to the Nilson report, which is considered the most trusted source on statistics for the payments industry."

United Airlines CEO says credit card rewards programs could soon be AXED thanks to congressional bill on swipe fees
"Merchants paid an estimated $93 billion in Visa and Mastercard fees last year, according to industry publication The Nilson Report - up from about $33 billion in 2012."

K Street cashes in as clients navigate uncertainty
"The Nilson Report estimated retailers paid more than $160 billion to process nearly $10.6 trillion in credit, debit and prepaid card payments last year last year."

Americans relying less on cash, more on credit cards may pay more fees. Here's why.
"Merchants paid $126.4 billion last year in processing fees to accept credit card payments, up 20% from 2021, according to global payments researcher Nilson Report."

This Week In Credit Card News: More Merchants Add Credit Card Surcharges; Are Lower Debit Swipe Fees Coming?
"Last year, U.S. merchants paid a record $160 billion in processing fees to accept $10.6 trillion in card payments, according to the Nilson Report. The bulk of those fees, about 79%, was from credit cards."

Visa appoints advisory council for policy institute
"While Visa’s 61% share of the $9.56 trillion in credit and debit card purchase volume last year continued to dwarf No. 2 Mastercard’s 25.5%, the latter is growing at a faster rate, or shrinking less, based on data from industry research firm The Nilson Report.

Mastercard’s credit card volume rose 47 basis points last year over 2021 while Visa’s declined 59 basis points, according to Nilson. With respect to both credit and debit cards, Visa’s share shrunk at a higher 61 basis points rate while Mastercard’s slipped just 18 basis points."

Credit cards: surcharges surge as US businesses pass costs on to customers
"Last year, US merchants paid a record $160.70bn in processing fees to accept $10.6tn in card payments, according to the Nilson Report. The bulk of those fees — about 79 per cent — was from credit cards."

Payments processing can get complicated. Here’s a primer.

"The biggest acquiring banks last year were JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Bank of America, respectively, according to industry research firm The Nilson Report."

Is American Express Accepted Everywhere?
"Amex is widely accepted domestically. In fact, according to the 2022 Nilson Report, you can use your Amex at 99% of places in the U.S. that accept payment via credit card."

Visa tracks spike in retail, e-commerce fraud
"A December 2022 issue of the industry publication Nilson Report noted that the international card fraud losses for sellers, issuers and acquirers will reach $397.40 billion during the next decade, down from the previous predicted loss of $408.50 billion."

Low Costs Vs. Compromised Security: The Payments Space Dilemma
"Per Nilson Report, last year, U.S. merchants paid around $93 billion to Visa and Mastercard in credit-card fees, which surged from the 2012 level of $33 billion. It should also be noted that the volume of digital transactions has significantly jumped during this time, along with the revenues of the merchants."

Report of swipe fee increases met with uproar—it may be unwarranted
"US merchants paid an estimated $93 billion in Visa and Mastercard credit-card fees last year, per the Nilson Report."

Are Visa (V) & Mastercard (MA) Eyeing Credit Card Fees Hikes?
"Last year alone, U.S. merchants paid about $93 billion to Visa and Mastercard in credit-card fees, per Nilson Report. The figure surged from $33 billion in 2012."

Durbin, Marshall Statement On Reports VISA & Mastercard Plan To Increase Swipe Fees On American Families And Businesses
“According to the Nilson Report, U.S. merchants paid an estimated $93 billion in Visa and Mastercard credit card fees last year—a huge jump from the $33 billion paid in 2012...."

Credit Card Companies Urged by Senators to Cancel Plan to Raise Swipe Fees
"The Nilson Report, an industry publication, found that merchants paid out $160.7 billion in swipe fees last year..."

New Jersey enacts law capping surcharges
"Average interchange fees imposed by Visa and Mastercard for card transactions in 2021 were 2.22%, according to a report last year from card industry research firm the Nilson Report, but that average likely edged up last year following increases for some cards."

Travelers are vulnerable: Here’s how to keep your money safe while traveling
"Payment card fraud losses worldwide are projected to cumulate to $397 billion worldwide by 2031 ($165 billion for the U.S.), from more than $32 billion for 2021 (Nilson Report)"

Visa scrutinized over info security
"It may be only pennies per transaction, but it adds up: Merchants last year spent a record $160.7 billion on these so–called swipe fees, up almost 17% from 2021, according to the Nilson Report. While Visa and Mastercard set the rates, it's the banks that issue the cards that keep most of the money."

The fight over a bill targeting credit card fees pits payment companies against retailers
"Swipe fees are often built into the price consumers pay for goods and services and have more than doubled in the past decade, hitting a record $160.7 billion in 2022, according to the Nilson Report. On average, U.S. credit card swipe fees account for 2.24% of a transaction, according to the Merchants Payments Coalition. That’s why some businesses add a surcharge to bills for customers paying with debit or credit cards to encourage cash transactions."

Visa is cracking down on the extra fees from bodegas and small businesses: ‘We don’t feel great that consumers get surcharged’
"In all, US merchants shelled out a record $160.7 billion on these so-called swipe fees last year, up 16.7% from 2021, according to the Nilson Report industry publication."

Bodegas Put on Notice as Visa Fights Back on Card Surcharges
"In all, US merchants shelled out a record $160.7 billion on these so-called swipe fees last year, up 16.7% from 2021, according to the Nilson Report industry publication."

How the Apple-Goldman Sachs relationship became an unhappy marriage
"No commercial bank that's experienced in the credit card business is going to give Apple the same terms as Goldman did," said Nilson Report publisher and payments industry expert David Robertson."

How the Partnership Between Apple and Goldman Sachs Soured

Merchant Lynx Services acquires National Credit Card Processing Group
"The company was among the merchant acquirers that experienced an increase of more than 17% in Mastercard and Visa volume last year, and an increase of more than 25% in other credit card purchase volume, outside of those two networks, according to Nilson."

AI gains momentum in core financial services functions
With 2.5 billion payment cards used in more than 200 countries and territories across the globe, Mastercard faces a gigantic fraud risk. Credit card fraud accounted for more than $32 billion in losses—or about 6.6 cents per $100 in transactions—in 2021, with more than one-third occurring the U.S., according to a December 2022 Nilson Report study.

Mastercard launches global plan to recycle credit cards
"The Nilson Report, which analyses the industry, put total cards in circulation at nearly 26 billion in 2022, and forecast that could rise to 28.4 billion by 2027."

List of Credit Card Companies
"Both Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted, with both estimated to be accepted at more than 100 million online and in-store merchants worldwide, according to the Nilson Report."

Silicon Valley Bank fallout and worries over banking sector may prompt credit-card issuers to further tighten lending standards
“Initial reactions by issuers will be to more closely review new applicants for their credit cards and raise the bar on creditworthiness,” said David Robertson, publisher of the Nilson Report, a subscription-only payment card industry trade journal..."

Common Concerns When Choosing A Fraud Detection Solution
"In December 2022, The Nilson Report forecasted that bank card fraud losses in the United States would soar to $165.1 billion over the next ten years. These staggering figures are prompting banks, online stores, insurance companies, telcos, and government agencies to prioritize their customers´ safety."

Retailers oppose banks seeking more time on debit routing rule
"Debit fees cost merchants $32.6 billion in 2021, and credit and debit fees amounted to $137.8 billion that year — a figure that doubled from a decade earlier, the Merchants Payments Coalition said in a Tuesday press release, citing research from the Nilson Report."

How small businesses are fighting inflated credit card swipe fees
"The European Union cracked down on similar increases, capping fees in 2015 at 0.2% for debit card purchases and 0.3% for credit card purchases. In the U.S. the average rate for Visa and Mastercard was 2.22% in 2021, according to market research firm the Nilson Report."

FIS, Fiserv could benefit from credit legislation
"It’s a tough market battle between the titans,” said David Robertson, publisher of industry publication The Nilson Report. “It’s really the big merchants and the big processors on one side, and the big banks and the big networks on the other."

What are credit card surcharges and where are they legal?
"According to November data from the Nilson Report, consumer and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid general-purpose cards generated $9.7 trillion in transactions in 2021: a 22.5% increase over the previous year."

FTC reportedly expands debit card routing probe to consider Mastercard and Visa tokenization
"The rule was designed to create card network competition: Visa and Mastercard accounted for more than half (63%) of global card network volume last year, per the Nilson Report."

Analysis of CFPB Developments Regarding the BNPL Industry
"BNPL providers cover the costs of these programs and make their money through merchant discounts. Just like credit card companies (that can charge up a 3.5% discount to a merchant—from Nilson Report data), BNPL providers send funds to merchants in an amount less than the “cash price” listed on the merchant’s website."

Retailers wage last-ditch battle against credit giants over swipe fees
"American merchants spent $105 billion on those fees in 2021, an increase of 25 percent from the previous year as consumer spending exploded, according to the Nilson Report."

Behind the Bancorp´s decision to pursue a national charter
"It (Bancorp) is the eighth-largest debit and prepaid card issuer by purchase volume in the U.S., according to the April issue of The Nilson Report, a newsletter for the global card and mobile payment industry."

How JPMorgan’s plan to kill credit cards split the bank
"Skimming a little bit from every card swipe adds up. In 2020, merchants in the US paid about $110bn in processing fees for $7.6tn worth of card transactions, according to the Nilson Report."

Venmo, Zelle, Visa, Mastercard, and you: The fiery fight over the future of swipe fees
"Altogether, merchants paid credit card companies more than $137 billion in processing fees (debit and credit) during 2021, according to the Nilson Report."

Mastercard Faces Retailer Backlash Over Installment Payments
"Merchants have grown increasingly vocal about the cost of accepting electronic payments, with processing fees soaring to $137.8 billion last year alone, according to industry publication The Nilson Report."

Apple Card’s rapid growth, outside vendors blamed for mishaps within Goldman’s credit-card business
"...Outstanding loans by Goldman nearly doubled last year, according to the Nilson Report."

Visa, Mastercard Swipe Fees Targeted in Planned Senate Bill
"These fees often amount to just pennies per transaction. But, last year alone, merchants paid $137.8 billion in processing fees, up 24% from 2020, according to the industry publication The Nilson Report."

Wells Fargo plays up rewards with new Autograph card "Wells Fargo ranked among the top three debit card issuers in 2020, but it stood at No. 8 in the credit card market, according to the Nilson Report."

Wells Fargo plays up rewards with new Autograph card "Wells Fargo ranked among the top three debit card issuers in 2020, but it stood at No. 8 in the credit card market, according to the Nilson Report."

Global chip shortages drive increased costs for contactless card manufacturers and issuers
"The price of EMV-compliant chips supplied to contactless payment card manufacturers increased by more than 50% in 2021 and is expected to rise by more than 20% during 2022 with the overall cost to card issuers for finished first-use plastic cards rising by between 5% and 20% during 2021, according to US research firm The Nilson Report."

Is Your Business Ready for ‘Chargeback-tivism’?
"Along with organized criminals who use the chargeback system as part of account takeovers and related fraudulent activities, such “friendly fraud” disputes are now a major expense for businesses, which lost a total of $28.58 billion to payment card fraud in 2020, according to the Nilson Report."

FIS knocks Fiserv out of No. 2 merchant acquirer spot
"David Robertson, publisher of The Nilson Report, attributed Fiserv’s slide in the ranking to the end of a joint venture it had inherited. That joint venture had been between First Data – acquired by Brookfield, Wisconsin-based Fiserv in 2019 – and Bank of America, but the companies announced they were dissolving it that same year, with the break-up happening in June 2020. That affected Fiserv’s share among merchant acquirers."

Two-Card Monte: Why Mastercard And Visa Rarely Shut Down Scammers Who Are Ripping Off Consumers
"In 2020, credit card fraud accounted for an estimated $10 billion in the US alone."

New Innovations—Including Crypto Cards—Energizing The ‘Dying’ Credit Card Market
"The use of physical cards may decline, but there is simply too much supply and demand for credit in the market. In fact, the Nilson Report projects that credit card purchase volume in the US will grow 39% between 2021 and 2026, with outstandings increasing by 35% over the same period."

Bitcoin Payments: The Beginning of Something Extraordinary
Card fraud alone is expected to reach about $40 billion per year for the next decade, according to the Nilson Report. In the same report, Nilson also calls out the problem of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) available for sale on the dark web.

Your no annual fee credit card is costing you $700 a year, US retailers say
"Over the past 10 years, swipe fees have more than doubled to $137.8 billion in 2021, according to the Nilson Report."

Why you now need to carry a wad of cash to dine out in NYC
With increasingly thin profit margins, general inflation and rising credit card fees — merchants in the US paid $137.83 billion in processing costs in 2021, up 24.3% from the prior year, according to a Nilson report — it’s yet another way for restaurants to try and stay afloat in challenging times.

Visa and Mastercard have already cut ties with Russian banks. Now China’s largest credit card brand might be pulling out too
UnionPay, launched in 2002, is a state-led financial services network operated by China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, and is the world’s second largest card brand with a 32% market share, according to 2020 data from the Nilson Report.

Visa, Mastercard Fees to Hurt Consumers, Sen. Dick Durbin Says
"U.S. merchants paid card issuers an estimated $55.4 billion in Visa and Mastercard credit-card interchange fees last year, more than double the amount in 2012, according to the Nilson Report, a trade publication."

How To Get Fraudulent Charges Removed From Your Credit Card
"According to (the) Nilson Report, credit card fraud losses reached about $28.58 billion worldwide in 2020, with the U.S. alone responsible for more than a third of the total global loss."

There was no stopping credit card fee hikes this year
"The card industry research firm The Nilson Report issued a report this month showing a sizable increase in credit card fees last year. "Merchants (in the U.S.) paid $105.23 billion in processing fees to accept credit cards last year, an increase of 25.1%," the report said."

Visa changes rules for gas stations to avoid $125 pump limit
"In 2020, merchants paid $110 billion to accept electronic payments, a 5.2% decline from a year earlier, according to the Nilson Report, a trade publication. That drop came even as spending on cards rose overall in 2020, the latest for which data is available."

Visa Changes Rules for Gas Stations to Avoid $125 Pump Limit
"In 2020, merchants paid $110 billion to accept electronic payments, a 5.2% decline from a year earlier, according to the Nilson Report, a trade publication."

Paynovate taps iDenfy´s ID verification solution
"According to the press release, credit card fraud remains at the top of the fraudsters’ list. A Nilson Report reveals that this form of identity theft is expected to reach USD 12.5 billion in card fraud losses in the US by 2025."

What is UnionPay? China’s alternative to Visa and Mastercard is a controversial new lifeline for Russians as Western sanctions bite
"Visa is the dominant global card brand by transaction amount, according to 2020 numbers from The Nilson Report..."

UnionPay has an opening in Russia
"UnionPay is much larger than you think. It´s already the largest network by number of cards in circulation due to the sheer size of the Chinese economy, said David Robertson, publisher of The Nilson Report. While best known and mostly used inside China, where it has about 90% market share, it is growing outside China as well."

Visa and Mastercard´s long-delayed interchange hikes may arrive next month
"...Visa and Mastercard merchant fees reached an estimated $55.39 billion last year—more than double the 2012 total, per The Nilson Report."

Visa, Mastercard Prepare to Raise Credit-Card Fees
"U.S. merchants paid card issuers an estimated $55.4 billion in Visa and Mastercard credit-card interchange fees in 2021, more than double the amount in 2012, according to the Nilson Report."

Mastercard And Visa Suspend Operations In Russia Over Invasion Of Ukraine
"Mastercard and Visa cards accounted for nearly 74% of card payment transactions in Russia in 2020, according to the Nilson Report."

Visa and Mastercard Suspend Russian Operations
"Among the debit and credit cards issued in Russia, Visa and Mastercard cards accounted for 74% of payment transactions in the country in 2020, according to the Nilson Report, a trade publication."

What Are the Biggest Credit Card Companies
"Within our article, we used data provided by the Nilson Report. The organization looked at the 2019 market share for the top credit card issuers based on outstanding card balances. We used this data to compile the list below."

Russian Consumers Cut Off From Many Foreign Purchases
"Among the debit and credit cards issued in Russia, Visa and Mastercard cards accounted for 74% of payment transactions in the country in 2020, according to trade publication the Nilson Report."

List of credit card companies: major issuers and networks
"In the meantime, the latest Nilson report shows that American Express cards are also accepted at 99 percent of places that accept credit cards around the U.S."

Discover backs card-free payments
"Merchants paid $53.6 billion in Visa and Mastercard interchange fees in 2019, per the Nilson Report."

8 Biggest U.S. Credit Card Companies This Year
"Credit cards made up more than half of all card purchases and generated $3.61 trillion in purchases in 2020, according to the most recent figures available from The Nilson Report, a newsletter covering the global payment industry."

Discover Is Bringing a Payment Option Popular in Asia to the U.S.
"Though its cards are widely accepted, Discover badly lags behind its bigger competitors— Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc. and American Express Co. It accounted for just 2% of card transactions on major U.S. networks in 2020, according to the Nilson Report. Visa had 65%."

Apollo Nears $2.3 Billion Deal for Worldline’s Terminal Business
"Worldline’s terminal business is Europe’s No. 1 provider of point-of-sale terminals technology, based on terminals shipped in 2019, according to Nilson Report. In the U.S., Worldline is the No. 2 player, behind VeriFone, Inc."